Sovereign Skies Program: Nighttime flight operations
Col. Mike Torrealday, a U.S. Air Force F-16 instructor pilot, prepares for a nighttime flight in the back seat of a Dominican Republic air force A-29 Super Tucano as part of an exercise to combat illegal drug trafficking Dec. 4, 2013. The exercise is part of the Sovereign Skies Program, an initiative between the U.S., Colombian, and Dominican Republic air forces to share best-practices on procedures to detect, track and intercept illegal drugs moving north from South America. Since the program’s inception, the number of aircraft suspected to traffic drugs through the Dominican Republic dropped from more than 100 annually to nearly zero. (U.S. Air Force photo by Capt. Justin Brockhoff/Released)