Exercise Southern Strike 17 is a total force, multi-service training exercise hosted by the Mississippi Air National Guard's Combat Readiness Training Center in Gulfport, Mississippi, from October 24 through November 4, 2016. The SSTK 2017 exercise emphasized air-to-air, air-to-ground, and special operations forces training opportunities. These events are integrated into demanding hostile and symmetric scenarios with actions from specialized ground forces and combat and mobility air forces.
Dust settles as the convoy comes to a halt while the sound of gunfire resounds from the hillside.
Immediately, a team of 39 Air Commandos jump into action, ready to apply the skills they learned in their training and preparations leading up to this moment.