More than 1.3 million people serve in the five branches of the US armed forces. Add in civilian employees from the Defense Department and you get the world's largest employer: 3.2 million employees, according to the World Economic Forum. Take a look at some of the things the military has been doing in the past month.
US military photos from January
Photos: US military photos from January
Sailors assigned to the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD-1) reunite with their families after mooring in Sasebo, Japan, on Sunday, January 14.
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Photos: US military photos from January
Air Force Thunderbird jets soar high during a training flight over the Nevada Test and Training Range on Monday, January 29.
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Photos: US military photos from January
Marines clear a building during urban terrain training aboard French amphibious assault ship LHD Tonnerre (L9014) on Friday, January 12. The training was taking place within the 5th Fleet area of operations.
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Photos: US military photos from January
A Marine jumps out of an MV-22 Osprey during a training exercise at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms, California, on Thursday, January 18.
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Photos: US military photos from January
Army Staff Sgt. Justin Peck is acknowledged during President Donald Trump's first State of the Union address in Washington on Tuesday, January 30. Peck helped save the life of his comrade, Chief Petty Officer Kenton Stacy, after Stacy was severely wounded during an explosion near Raqqa, Syria, last November, while Peck and Stacey were on a mission to clear buildings that ISIS had rigged with explosives. "Kenton Stacy would have died if not for Justin's selfless love for a fellow warrior," President Trump said. "Tonight, Kenton is recovering in Texas. Raqqa is liberated. And Justin is wearing his new Bronze Star, with a 'V' for 'Valor.' Staff Sergeant Peck: All of America salutes you."
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Photos: US military photos from January
Marines move an F/A-18C Hornet on the flight deck of the USS Theodore Roosevelt while in the Persian Gulf on Wednesday, January 24.
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Photos: US military photos from January
Marine Corps recruit Mitchell Sanchez receives his first recruit training haircut at Marine Corps Recruit Depot in Parris Island, South Carolina, on Monday, January 8.
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Photos: US military photos from January
Military working dog Ayron wears the PDSA Dickin Medal on behalf of Chips, a US Army dog, during a ceremony in London on Monday, January 15. The PDSA Dickin Medal honors the work of animals in World War II, and was posthumously awarded to Chips for his bravery during the invasion of Sicily in 1943. "According to the US soldiers, Chips raced into an Italian machine-gun nest, attacking an enemy soldier by the throat and pulling the gun from its mount," the Associated Press reports.
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Photos: US military photos from January
Soldiers walk through smoke from a grenade during an Operation Bowie Strike training exercise in Zhegoc, Kosovo, on Friday, January 19.
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Photos: US military photos from January
A Delta IV rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex-6 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in Santa Barbara County, California, on Friday, January 12. The rocket was carrying a classified US satellite.
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Photos: US military photos from January
A California Air National Guard F-15 Eagle aircraft approaches the boom of an Iowa Air National Guard KC-135 Stratotanker above Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam during an exercise in Hawaii on Wednesday, January 17.
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Photos: US military photos from January
Army Sgt. 1st Class Mihail Golin is laid to rest in Section 60 of Arlington National Cemetery during a funeral in Arlington, Virginia, on Monday, January 22. Golin, 34, died on January 1, 2018, as a result of wounds sustained during combat operations in Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan.
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Photos: US military photos from January
Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Justin Sanchez participates in a fitness competition aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp in the Pacific Ocean on Wednesday, January 10.
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Photos: US military photos from January
Leilani Duboise and her daughter, Mikayla Duboise, look on as the nuclear-powered USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier leaves San Diego Bay for deployment to the western Pacific on Friday, January 5. Leilani's husband, Navy Chief Petty Officer Max Duboise, was aboard the USS Carl Vinson, along with more than 6,000 sailors, as part of a regularly scheduled deployment.
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Photos: US military photos from January
Marines with the Infantry Training Battalion, School of Infantry (East) detonate a timber charge during a demolition and explosive training exercise on Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville, North Carolina, on Thursday, January 11.
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Photos: US military photos from January
Petty Officer Connor Hallinan talks to children about ice safety as Coast Guard Fireman Thomas Chanady, center, and Petty Officer Matt Huber demonstrate icy water rescue techniques at the Benton Harbor-St. Joseph YMCA in St. Joseph, Michigan, on Tuesday, January 2.
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Photos: US military photos from January
A Coast Guard HC-130 Hercules aircraft is rinsed down at Air Station Barbers Point in Honolulu County, Hawaii, on Tuesday, January 2. Crew members maintain operational readiness by washing the plane after every flight to protect it and remove any salt.
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Photos: US military photos from January
Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin, right, makes brief remarks in the Oval Office after President Donald Trump signed an executive order supporting veterans during their transition from military service to civilian life on Tuesday, January 9. Shulkin said that the executive order, which expands mental health care for veterans, will work to reduce veteran suicides.
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Photos: US military photos from January
Army paratroopers descend from an Air Force 86th Air Wing C-130 Hercules aircraft onto Juliet Drop Zone during an airborne operation in Pordenone, Italy, on Thursday, January 18.
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Photos: US military photos from January
Soldiers with Task Force Marauder Medical Evacuation (MEDEVAC) conduct K-9 medical training with an Army veterinarian in Afghanistan on Monday, January 8. The MEDEVAC soldiers learned how to diagnose and treat symptoms for the military K-9s in the event they transport or provide medical care to a K-9 or handler.
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Photos: US military photos from January
Harry Wisniewski, a veteran visiting from Clinton Township, Michigan, stops to play his bugle at the Korean War Veterans Memorial on the National Mall in Washington on Thursday, January 4.
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