A U.S. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon from the 52nd Fighter Wing takes off during a sortie surge exercise at Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany, Oct. 25, 2017. A sortie surge is an increase in flying operations during a short period of time meant to test the limits of operations at the wing and is representative of a wartime tasking. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Preston Cherry)