defend1.jpg : Australian Prime Minister Mr John Howard is welcomed to southern Afghanistan by the Commanding Officer of the 1st Reconstruction Task Force, Lieutenant Colonel Mick Ryan.

defend2.jpg : Australian Prime Minister John Howard receives a warm welcome from deployed Diggers in southern Afghanistan.

defend3.jpg : Australian Prime Minister John Howard meets soldiers from the nations working with Australians in southern Afghanistan. American and Afghan officers take time to discuss the fantastic relationship they have with the men and women of the 1st Reconstruction Task Force.

defend4.jpg : Airman 1st Class Arnold Pea, along with his crew of aerial porters, loads a pallet of bombs onto a C-17 Globemaster. Approximately 2.1 million pounds of cargo are loaded per week. The aerial porter's mission supports the bigger picture of Operation Achilles, a campaign to create a secure environment and better quality of life for Afghan citizens. Aerial porters are assigned to the 8th Expeditionary Air Mobility Squadron. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Cecilio Ricardo Jr.)

defend5.jpg : Staff Sgt. Aaron Witt and Senior Airmen Steven Bazar and Katherine Bunt along with a loadmaster push a military shipping container onto a C-17 Globemaster aircraft. Approximately 2.1 million pounds of cargo are loaded per week. The aerial porter's mission supports the bigger picture of Operation Achilles, a campaign to create a secure environment and better quality of life for Afghan citizens. Aerial porters are assigned to the 8th Expeditionary Air Mobility Squadron. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Cecilio Ricardo Jr.)

defend6.jpg : Staff Sgt. Todd Frederick secures military gear onto a pallet. Approximately 2.1 million pounds of cargo are loaded per week. The aerial porter's mission supports the bigger picture of Operation Achilles, a campaign to create a secure environment and better quality of life for Afghan citizens. Aerial porters are assigned to the 8th Expeditionary Air Mobility Squadron. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Cecilio Ricardo Jr.)

defend7.jpg : An aerial porter marshals in an aircraft loader into the back of a C-17 Globemaster. Approximately 2.1 million pounds of cargo are loaded per week. The aerial porter's mission supports the bigger picture of Operation Achilles, a campaign to create a secure environment and better quality of life for Afghan citizens. Aerial porters are assigned to the 8th Expeditionary Air Mobility Squadron. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Cecilio Ricardo Jr.)

defend8.jpg : Airman 1st Class Arnold Pea marshals out an aircraft loader after loading pallets of bombs onto a C-17 Globemaster. Approximately 2.1 million pounds of cargo are loaded per week. The aerial porter's mission supports the bigger picture of Operation Achilles, a campaign to create a secure environment and better quality of life for Afghan citizens. Aerial porters are assigned to the 8th Expeditionary Air Mobility Squadron. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Cecilio Ricardo Jr.)

defend9.jpg : Aerial porters load pallets of bombs onto a aircraft loader in preparation for a night load. Approximately 2.1 million pounds of cargo are loaded per week. The aerial porter's mission supports the bigger picture of Operation Achilles, a campaign to create a secure environment and better quality of life for Afghan citizens. Aerial porters are assigned to the 8th Expeditionary Air Mobility Squadron. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Cecilio Ricardo Jr.)

defend10.jpg : Brad Jones, canine training manager with American K-9 Detection Services, Inc., searches a local bazaar at Kandahar Airfield with his partner, Gromett, a Belgian Malinois explosives detection dog.

defend11.jpg : Thyse Kleyn, of American K-9 Detection Services, Inc., searches a local bazaar at Kandahar Airfield with his canine partner, Benny, a German Shepherd explosive detection dog.

defend12.jpg : Army Staff Sgt. James Wilson Jr., a pharmacy technician with 710th Brigade Support Battalion, puts the finishing touches on the new pharmacy, which he practically “built from scratch,” March 15, at Jalalabad Airfield (Photo by Army Sgt. Amber Robinson)