Incredible photos from the US Army's massive European airborne training operation

Staff Sgt. DeAndre Curtiss/US Air Force

Staging aircraft carriers offshore or using drones from far away can be great assets in modern warfare. However, sometimes it's necessary to go back to the basics when responding to a global crisis. 

Exercise Swift Response 16, a month-long operation led by US forces, was conducted to keep up with traditional and newer methods of combat. Over 5,000 troops from nations such as France, Germany, Great Britain, and Italy took part in this massive airborne exercise to conduct a rapid-response, joint forcible-entry scenario. While working with their European allies, US forces also participated in notable scenarios, such as staging a base within 18 hours of notification. 

Here are several pictures of the multinational airborne exercise:

US Army and Italian paratroopers board a US Air Force C-130J Hercules during exercise Swift Response 16, at Ramstein Air Base, Germany.

A C-130J Super Hercules aircraft from Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, takes off for Germany within several hours' worth of notice.

British paratroopers conduct a static-line jump.