When the Department of Defense approved Lockheed Martin’s CH-53K King Stallion for Marine Corps use, a leaked decision memo revealed the brand-new heavy-lift helicopters would cost $138.5 million apiece — which, at millions more than the infamously pricey F-35A Lighting II joint strike fighter, makes the King Stallion the most expensive aircraft in the Pentagon’s arsenal.

Now, the helicopter is looking even more costly. On May 9, Bloomberg reported that new King Stallion will cost closer to $144 million apiece, 4% more than the “program acquisition unit cost” projected by the DoD last month, according to Pentagon’s Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation.

To further complicate matters, the aircraft won’t achieve initial combat capacity until the end of 2020, a year later than initially expected.

To be fair to the Pentagon, the King Stallion may be worth a lot of baksheesh. Engineers at Lockheed designed the copter to haul up to 27,000 pounds — triple the cargo of the CH-53E Super Stallion, the Pentagon’s current heavy-lift copter of choice — without any major changes in the aircraft’s dimensions. Here’s what Task & Purpose’s Brian Jones wrote of the King Stallion in March:

"When I was in Afghanistan from 2011 to 2012, the CH-53 was so critical to combat operations it was the only squadron the Marine Corps kept two iterations of. The 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing (Forward) had a CH-53E Super Stallion squadron and a CH-53D Sea Stallion squadron. But both versions of the aircraft were decades old, but were incredibly busy across the theater of operations. Those platforms desperately need to be upgraded."

"The new CH-53K King Stallion certainly seems to be an excellent iterative development of this combat-tested and combat-proven platform. The new helicopter can hoist an external payload of more than 27,000 pounds, more than triple what the CH-53E could do. While the old version, the CH-53E, was just barely too thin to hold a Humvee in its fuselage, the new helicopter can hold a Humvee."

As Bloomberg notes, it’s likely the King Stallion program will end up costing far less than the initial projections suggest, but the optics of a heavy-lift copter that’s significantly more expensive than the much-maligned F-35 program will prove burdensome for the Pentagon in coming weeks.

Check out some footage of the CH-53K King Stallion: 

House Armed Services Committee member Rep. Niki Tsongas, a Massachusetts Democrat, questioned the King Stallion program for costing “a heck of a lot of money.” And that was before the news of this most recent cost hike.

When reached for comment by Bloomberg, a Navy spokeswoman emphasized that the Pentagon and Lockheed remain “committed to reducing program costs over the life of the program.” But if this helo is going to cost more than an advanced fighter jet, it should at least transform into a giant murderbot— or come with decent cupholders.

SEE ALSO: Here's footage of the US military's new helicopter that'll cost as much as an F-35

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NOW WATCH: Here's footage of the US military's new helicopter that'll cost as much as an F-35

Admiral William McRaven, author of "Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life... And Maybe The World," explains what he learned about his ego while training to become a Navy SEAL. He went on to serve as a SEAL for nearly 4 decades. Following is a transcript of the video.

I don't think of myself as having a big ego. Others may differ. 

But I don't think I have a big ego — but inside sometimes, again, you internalize your pride a little bit more than you do externally. So there are some people that have a big ego externally, and then there are some people, I think, that internalize their pride. 

But one of the things that you learn very quickly when you go through SEAL training is you're rarely the fastest, the strongest, or the smartest. So much like coming to a college football team or a pro football team, you see these great young high school players and they come to a college football team, and they were the best in their high school, and they get to a great college program and they're not the fastest, they're not the best.

And so SEAL training humbles you. It makes you realize, one, that you have to rely on other people and you have to rely on them for everything you do. We talk about this little thing we call the inflatable boat small, our little rubber raft. And you realize very quickly you're not going to get anywhere unless you function as a team. 

And in the team — it is about the team. It can't be about you. It can never be about you. So SEAL training really helps bring you back down to earth. One, because the people that you're around are all phenomenal, and then the instructors make sure you recognize if you don't function as a team, the SEAL team will never be successful.  

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The US Marine Corps' F-35B fired its gun pod for the first time while flying. With 220-rounds of 25 mm firepower, the F-35 with the gun pod is a powerful asset for close air support. 

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US Special Operations Command, in coordination with the US Marine Corps, is looking into sources for a brand new lightweight machine gun from weapons contractors, according to a sources sought listing published last week, one that can bridge the gap in distance and lethality between the 7.62-mm light machine gun and the .50 caliber M2.

In the listing, first reported by Guns.com, SOCOM specified the need for 5,000 lightweight medium machine guns that can fire belt-fed .338 Norma Magnum rounds from a polymer shell casing at a rate of 500 to 600 rounds a minute and “sufficient accuracy to engage area targets and vehicles at 2,000 yards.”

The focus on the belted .338 Norman Magnum is of particular interest due to the round’s association with long-range precision rifles, as the War Zone points out, First introduced in 2008 as a wildcat cartridge by American sports shooter Jimmy Sloan, the Department of Defense that years issued a market survey to assess its viability as a possible replacement for the standard issue M40 and M24, which fire 7.62×51mm NATO rounds sniper rifles.

SOCOM has been inching toward the highly efficient round for years. In 2016, the command officially selected the .300NM (based on the .338 casing) as its new advanced sniper rifle cartridge. Five weeks ago, SOCOM also published source sought listing for a sniper rifle system adaptable to fire the standard NATO rounds as well as .300NM and .338NM cartridges.

SOCOM has been inching toward the highly efficient round for years. In 2016, the command officially selected the .300NM (based on the .338 casing) as its new advanced sniper rifle cartridge. Five weeks ago, SOCOM also published source sought listing for a sniper rifle system adaptable to fire the standard NATO rounds as well as .300NM and .338NM cartridges.

In all likelihood, SOCOM and the Corps will end up with the General Dynamics medium machine gun given that it’s currently the only one in production that can chamber the round. In 2012, the aerospace and defense contractor’s debuted a lightweight medium machine gun (LWMMG) designed specifically to accommodate belt-fed .338NM rounds, based on the M240 and weighing just 24 pounds and with a 24-inch barrel— right in line with SOCOM’s sources sought listing. From The War Zone:

In 2009, the Florida-headquartered subsidiary of defense contractor General Dynamics had identified what it felt was a machine gun “gap” and began working privately on a solution. The firm’s engineers felt that American combat experiences during the War on Terror had shown 5.56mm M249 squad automatic weapons and the aforementioned M240 light machine guns were man-portable for mobile operations, but might lack the range and power to attack enemies at longer ranges or behind hard cover. The venerable M2 was able to get at those opponents, but was simply too heavy for regular, day-to-day patrolling.

What the company ultimately crafted was a 24-pound machine gun with a 24-inch barrel firing the .338 Norma Magnum round at a sustained rate of fire of 500 rounds per minute. By 2014, engineers successfully demonstrated it could accept a sound suppressor, too. A complete package with its tripod, spare barrel, a 6x Trijicon ACOG optic, and 500 rounds of belted ammunition, was approximately 105 pounds. An M2 with a similar collection of gear would be three times heavier.

SOCOM and General Dynamics sound like a match made in heaven, especially after GD’s 2012 debut of the Norma-laden lightweight medium machine gun. “Combining the .338 Norma Magnum cartridge and their ‘Short Recoil Impulse Averaging’ recoil mitigation system, the LWMMG can engage targets out to 1700,” Soldier Systems wrote in March. “That round offers 5 times the energy of a 7.62 projectile at 1000 meters.”

I’ll take two.

SEE ALSO: US Marine unit in Norway first to deploy with rifle suppressors

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NOW WATCH: The Marine Corps of the future wants to invade enemy beaches with drones and robots that are armed to the teeth

The US military has over 1.3 million men and women on active duty, with more than 450,000 of them stationed overseas.

Many of these stationed service members perform training exercises and other duties at rather safe bases. Then there are others who are deployed to conflict zones like Syria or Iraq or potential "hotspots" like Somalia.

We pulled together the numbers and units from around the military to show you where service members are engaged.

SEE ALSO: After multiple deployments, US special forces may have 'mortgaged the future'

US troops are deployed in hotspots around the world, including places like Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan.

Here's a look at some of the most significant deployments for American soldiers.

In Afghanistan, approximately 9,800 US soldiers are taking part in Resolute Support, which aims to train, advise, and assist the Afghan security forces and institutions in their fight against the Taliban and other terrorist networks.

In Iraq, about 4,000 to 6,000 soldiers are taking part in Operation Inherent Resolve, which aims to eliminate the Islamic State. Only 5,262 US troops are authorized to be in Iraq, but the actual numbers have been larger for a while as commanders leverage what they call temporary — or "nonenduring"— assignments like the one involving the 82nd Airborne in Mosul.

In Syria, 500 US special forces and 250 Rangers are working in support of Operation Inherent Resolve. The Pentagon is also mulling sending an additional 1,000 US service members to the war-torn country.

In Kuwait, about 15,000 soldiers are spread among Camp Arifjan, Ahmed Al Jaber Air Base, and Ali Al Salem Air Base. About 3,800 soldiers from the 1st Cavalry Division's 3rd Brigade Combat Team also deployed there late last year.

In Poland, about 3,500 soldiers from the 4th Infantry Division's 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team are stationed as part of Atlantic Resolve, which seeks to halt Russian aggression. These soldiers will help train local forces and provide security, eventually fanning out to other countries like Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, and Hungary to do the same.

In Ukraine, approximately 250 Oklahoma National Guardsmen are training Ukrainian forces in support of Joint Multinational Training Group-Ukraine.

In Somalia, about 40 US soldiers from the 101st Airborne division are assisting the central government in training its forces and fighting the terrorist group al-Shabab.

Of the US Navy's seven fleets, three are deployed in or near potential hotspots around the world.

Happy Armed Forces Day!

Established in 1949 by President Harry S. Truman, Armed Forces Day celebrates and gives thanks to the military for their patriotic service in support of our country.

So in honor of the holiday, we rounded up 33 of the best pictures taken by military photographers.

The Patriots Jet Team performs aerial acrobatics as pyrotechnics provided by the Tora Bomb Squad of the Commemorative Air Force explode, forming a "Wall Of Fire" during an air show on March 18, 2017.

Construction Mechanic Constructionman Matt Adams traverses a mud-filled pit while participating in the endurance course at the Jungle Warfare Training Center in Okinawa, Japan on Feb. 17, 2017.

The amphibious assault ship USS Makin Island transits the Arabian Sea on March 3, 2017.

In US Navy history, just four ships have borne the name Kearsarge.

The first, a Civil War sloop, sank the CSS Alabama off the coast of France in 1864.

The next one, a battleship, sailed around the world with Theodore Roosevelt's Great White Fleet.

The third, an aircraft carrier, recovered astronauts from the sea during Project Mercury, the US's first human-spaceflight program.

The current USS Kearsarge, an amphibious assault ship that docked in New York City for Fleet Week, has a lower profile, but it is no less essential to the fleet.

"We have a very special mission as opposed to your other ships of the Navy," Lt. J.G. Christian Sedarski, a deck-division officer on the Kearsarge, told Business Insider. "Sometimes we will conduct firings on the beaches and that kind of thing, but we are strictly landing and bringing back Marines from the beach."

"So the way I like to explain it is, we are a glorified hotel with a F-150 flatbed," he added.

It also has extensive medical facilities, capable of taking in wounded troops as well as survivors of natural disasters. Its ability to hold 600 patients makes it second to only the Navy's ready-reserve hospital ships in medical capacity.

In a display of its versatility, the Kearsarge deployed to provide flood relief in Pakistan in August 2010, steaming west six months later to support operations in Libya as part of Task Force Odyssey Dawn.

Below, you can take a tour of Kearsarge and get an up-close look at a ship that ferries Marines and their gear into battle around the world.

SEE ALSO: The Air Force put on a show of force with the A-10, and a day later it got taken off the chopping block

The Kearsarge stretches 844 feet from bow to stern with a 27-foot draft. Fully loaded, it displaces 44,000 tons and can push through the water at over 24 knots.

Deck-edge elevators, like the one seen here, lift the Kearsarge's contingent of aircraft to the flight deck, where three cargo elevators lift supplies to meet them.

The ship rises 186 feet from waterline to top of mast. It sails with over 1,100 officers and crew and can carry about 2,000 Marines and their gear.

Getting out of the military can be a challenging time, especially for those who only served one enlistment and are heading to college.

In my case, I dropped out of school in 2008 and enlisted, then in 2012 left the Marines and returned to college, except this time I had a new identifier permanently affixed to myself.

I was now a veteran, but I had no idea how that one little detail was going to impact and alter how I behaved.

I felt like I was equipped with a wealth of experience far beyond my peers. I’d gone to war, done some stuff, and now I was going to show these civilians just how easy they had it. Post-military life would be a cinch and I’d be making mad bank in no time.

I was full of s---, and it’s taken me awhile to realize how naive and unprepared I was when I left the Corps, mostly because I let my veteran status go to my head. I didn’t make much of an effort to get to know my classmates or colleagues, nor did I maintain or hold on to the positive habits I developed in the Marines, like staying in shape.

Instead, I rode the coattails of my four short years of service, only to realize later that I wasn’t nearly as mature or grown up as I thought. To help others avoid making the same mistakes, here’s what I failed to understand when I left the military.

1. You still have to pay your dues

The military instills in its members a wide range of technical skills, but the most valuable thing I learned from my time in was how to deal with bullshit. I was a public affairs Marine, yeah, a POG and a short-timer, who somehow got it into his head that four years writing glorified propaganda would land me a job as a civilian journalist. Dead wrong. I had to start right at the bottom, working as an unpaid intern for a year, before finally getting the chance to be a paid intern, and then eventually, got a real job. If it hadn’t been for my time in the Marines and the high bullshit tolerance that came with it, I doubt I would have stuck it out.

2. It’s okay to civilianize yourself

By the time I EAS’d, I couldn’t wait to be a civilian again. Then I got out, went to college on the GI Bill and couldn’t shut up about the fact that I was a veteran (an experience I’ve since realized is pretty common.)

In college, whenever Iraq or Afghanistan came up, I missed out on a lot of opportunities for personal growth because I was in too big of a hurry to toot my own horn to my civilian peers, rather than take the time to hear what they had to say on the topic. After spending the last four years largely defined by military service, it wasn’t that easy to just let go of it, but there’s nothing wrong with toning it down.

3. You’re probably gonna get a little fat

Transitioning from an environment where you worked out five days a week to one where you work out whenever you want, it’s easy to let fitness slide. After all you’re no longer being paid to stay in shape, so gym time is often sacrificed in lieu of work or school.

Personally, I don’t hold to the idea that as a veteran you need to maintain the same level of fitness you had when you were in, but an easy way to keep from packing on the pounds is to either a) keep working out, or b) just cut down on the late night Domino’s and 12-packs of light beer.

4. Getting out isn’t all freedom cake and giant stacks of money

It was easy for me to lose sight of just how easy I had it when I was in. I had a steady paycheck (even if it was small), free health insurance, dental, housing (single Marine barracks life), and chow… yet I was convinced that the grass on the other side was greener and more well-manicured than the base general’s lawn.

Turns out the civilian job market is hell, rent is expensive, everyone gets paid shit, and what money you rake in goes toward things like food, insurance, and assorted bills. On that note:

5. You will never have free health insurance ever again

While health care was pretty great in the military, you rarely get to use it — show of hands if anyone actually had more than a few “sick days” while they were in. Yeah, same here. But it was free — and spending a few hundred dollars a month for insurance, which you may or may not need, is brutal. (And once you start a family, you’re gonna need it, for sure.)

While you can certainly rely on the VA for medical care, that can be tough, since it’s really not designed to function like your typical doctor’s office.

6. Being a veteran does not qualify you as an expert on all things

Sure, it makes sense to drop the veteran card when you’re talking about something directly related to your military service, but that’s about it.

You don’t want to be the guy who overuses it, constantly bringing up his one year at KAF to back up his views on everything from complex foreign policy issues to how much wood a woodchuck would chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood, to whether or not “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” was a fresh take on the franchise, or a rip off of Episode IV.

It totally was a rip-off, though. I mean, as a veteran, I watched Star Wars all the time in Afghanistan and can say without a… F---. My bad.

SEE ALSO: Thank you for your military service — now here are 9 reasons why I won't hire you

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NOW WATCH: 15 things you didn't know your iPhone headphones could do

For members of the US military, deployed all over the world, day-to-day duties often come with hardship, but amid those challenges, they often find themselves in breathtaking surroundings.

Whether it's mountain vistas, Arctic panoramas, and rolling steppe, US troops can easily claim that their working environments are among the most exotic in the world.

Below are some of the best US military photos showing the amazing land- and seascapes service members encounter every day.

Jeremy Bender composed an earlier version of this article.

SEE ALSO: The US military's special ops may try to develop 'super soldiers' with performance-enhancing drugs

Lance Cpl. Chance Seckinger, with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, rides a Combat Rubber Raiding Craft during launch and recovery drills from the well deck of the USS Green Bay, on July 9, 2015.

Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Brian Evans repairs an antenna system during a replenishment at sea involving the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, the guided-missile cruiser USS Monterey, and the Military Sealift Command combat support ship USNS Arctic in the Persian Gulf, September 2, 2016.

Two F-15E Strike Eagles wait to receive fuel from a KC-135R Stratotanker on January 23, 2015, on their way to Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada.

Maj. David Palka had seen combat in Iraq and Afghanistan, but roughly 90% of the Marines under his command, tasked with setting up a remote fire base in northern Iraq in 2016, had only heard the stories.

Their trial by fire in March 2016 came just hours after they landed on Army CH-47 helicopters under cover of darkness in Makhmur, Iraq. Getting off the helicopters at around 2 a.m., the Marines were in what was essentially open farmland with a large protective berm of dirt around their small perimeter.

"By 0900, we received the first rocket attack," Palka told Business Insider.

As a captain, Palka had led the Marines of Echo Battery, 2nd Battalion, 10th Marine Regiment when it was attached to the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit from October 2015 to June 2016.

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U.S. Marine Corps Chief Warrant Officer 5 Christian Wade, a division gunner with the 2nd Marine Division, demonstrates how an M4-style short-barrel suppressor can get hot enough to cook — or even “vaporize” — bacon during a safety demonstration near Camp Lejeune, N.C., May 26, 2017.

The video, shot by Cpl. Clarence L. Wimberly, is part of the Marine Corps’ “Gunner Fact or Fiction” series designed to dispel common myths and misconceptions about the service’s weapon systems.

Watch the bacon sizzle on the suppressor here: 

SEE ALSO: Marine officers could face charges after allegedly getting drugged and robbed in Colombia

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During the recent Fleet Week in New York City, the US Marines showed off one of their amphibious reconnaissance vehicles.

The Light Armored Vehicle 25 (LAV 25) is one variation of 8x8 wheeled vehicles that the Marine Corps began fielding in 1983.

The LAV 25 "possesses a potent combination of firepower, high mobility, communications and protection in an expeditionary platform," according to the US Marines. 

It was used in the 1989 invasion of Panama, the 1991 Gulf War, the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan and the 2003 invasion of Iraq. 

The LAV 25's light armor can withstand small arms fire, and possibly even rocket-propelled grenades, but not cannon fire, the Marines said.

The LAV 25's primary weapon is the M242 Bushmaster 25 millimeter chain gun cannon.

When not in use, the 25 millimeter barrel can be taken out and stored inside the vehicle.

After repeated urgings from Congress to move to a common rifle round with the Army, Marine Corps officials told lawmakers Tuesday that they’re getting close to being able to do so.

The Marine Corps continues to use M855 ammo for their M16A4 and M4 5.56mm service rifles, instead of the M855A1 Enhanced Performance Round the Army uses for its rifles.

The problem, Marine officials have said, is that the newer round causes problems with the Marines’ M27 Infantry Automatic Rifle, with tests indicating use of the round with the IAR results in reliability and durability issues.

But the Marines recently took a step that indicates the service is becoming more comfortable with the Army round. Lt. Gen. Robert Walsh, commander of Marine Corps Combat Development Command, told members of the Senate Armed Services Committee that the Corps had sent the Army round to Helmand province, Afghanistan with a 300-Marine advisory element that deployed in April.

“The good news with that round … specifically the Army 855A1, is much better at penetrating armor,” Walsh said. “So that’s a good reason to go with that.”

Walsh said the Marines are also looking at the possibility of going with a U.S. Special Operations Command round, the MK 318, which offers better accuracy than the M855 round. The Marine Corps has used the SOCOM round in various capacities since officials scrapped plans to field the M855A1 round in late 2009.

Testing of the M55A1 round at the Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland was expanded to include the M27 and M16A4 rifles last March, Military.com reported in December. And that testing effort is now expected to wrap up next month, Brig. Gen. Joseph Shrader, commander of Marine Corps Systems Command, told the panel.

The testing examines performance, stopping power, effect on the durability of the weapons, and the impact of the flatter trajectory of the M855A1 round compared to the M855, which may require adjustments to Marine Corps range training and safety measures.

“Those four areas are what we’re looking at for testing to inform us to make a decision for how we go forward,” he said.

Maintaining separate caches of rifle ammunition for the Army and Marine Corps engenders waste and inefficiency, as lawmakers have repeatedly complained to the services. In the 2017 defense budget bill, Congress once again pushed for a common round, asking the secretary of defense to produce a report explaining why the different rounds were still being used.

But that may not be the case for much longer.

“We’re working through reliability things in testing, but we will make some adjustments from that, and I think in the end our Marines will have a much better capability when we’re done with it,” Walsh said.

SEE ALSO: The Army and Marine Corps want big changes for their infantry arsenals — and Congress seems to be on board

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NOW WATCH: This is the inside account of the secret battle US Marines have been fighting against ISIS

African-American military service members are more likely to be punished than their fellow white service members, according to a new study released Wednesday by Protect Our Defenders, an advocacy group that has focused on military justice reform.

Depending on the branch and kind of punishment administered, black troops are 29% to 161% more likely to be court martialed or otherwise punished by their commanders than white troops, according to the study.

Protect Our Defenders obtained the demographic statistics of military punishments by submitting requests to each military branch under the Freedom of Information Act. The stats gathered from each branch were from 2006-2015, except for the Navy, which only had figures from 2014-2015. 

Evidence from their findings also hinted at other non-white racial groups being more likely to be punished than whites. 

Here are the key findings from the study: 

• Black airmen were on average 71% more likely to face a court martial or some other form of non-judicial punishment than white airmen.
• Black Marines were on average 32% more likely to be found guilty of a court martial or non-judicial proceedings than white Marines. 
• Black sailors were on average 40% more likely to be "referred to special or general court-martial and 37% more likely to see action taken against them in the case in an average year."
• Black soldiers were on average 61% more likely to face a general or special court-martial than white soldiers. 

Black Marines were also 161% more likely to be found guilty at a court-martial hearing than white Marines, while they were 29% more likely to be found guilty at a non-judicial proceeding. 

Black sailors were also more likely to be referred to military justice, but in post-referral outcomes, the disparity practically disappeared. 

Protect Our Defenders recommends reforming the military justice system "to empower legally trained military prosecutors, instead of the commander of the accused, to determine when to refer a case to court-martial, thereby reducing the potential for bias based on familiarity, friendship, race, or ethnicity."

They also recommend that each military branch collect and publish "racial and ethnic data regarding military justice involvement and outcomes."

They further suggest that data should be collected about the victims of crimes to check for any racial or ethnic bias, and that research should be conducted to figure out why these racial and ethnic disparities in the military justice system exist. 

A dearth of minority officers might be a factor in these racial and ethnic disparities, Don Christensen, the president of Protect Our Defenders, told USA Today. "In 2016, about 78% of military officers were white, and 8% were black," the site wrote. 

"It is longstanding Department of Defense policy that service members must be afforded the opportunity to serve in an environment free from unlawful racial discrimination," Pentagon spokesman Johnny Michael told USA TODAY. "The department will review any new information concerning implementation of and compliance with this policy.” 

SEE ALSO: Marine officers could face charges after allegedly getting drugged and robbed in Colombia

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NOW WATCH: Here's why the American flag is reversed on military uniforms

Combat veteran Andrew Wittman was an infantry Marine for 6 years. He reveals a few things he learned in the Marine Corps that he still does today. Wittman is the author of "Ground Zero Leadership: CEO of You," and coaches Fortune 500 CEO's and top executives. Following is a transcript fo the video. 

One of the routines that I learned in the Marines Corps that is still used today, and I'll carry it through the rest of my life, is that I always have water and always know where to get the next sip of water. You never want to find yourself in a place where you're dehydrated and no way to refuel the tank. 

The drill instructors, you actually have two canteens on your duty belt you carry around at boot camp, and when you run — you're carrying the canteen of water and they'll tell you, "Stop — face upward, drink water, drink water.""Aye aye, sir." And they instill in you to always stay hydrated. 

One of the things that I still do — when I was a grunt in the Marine Corps, in infantry, we would not only PT in the morning with the company, and the regiment, and the platoon early in the morning, but every day between 11 in the morning and 1300, or 1 p.m., it's a long lunch, we would go to the gym and work out. And it's funny because even now I've been out of the Marine Corps since I got off active duty in 1991, and still to this day the time I work out is during that 11 to 1 o'clock hour. 

This is what elite warriors, what champions do. When they find something that works they just keep doing that over and over again because they get great results at it. 

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Combat veteran Andrew Wittman was an infantry Marine for 6 years. He explains why setting goals can be a complete waste of time. Wittman is the author of "Ground Zero Leadership: CEO of You," and coaches Fortune 500 CEO's and top executives. Following is a transcript fo the video. 

Setting goals is the biggest waste of time on planet Earth. People are shocked when I say that. Setting goals is a complete waste of time if you don't have a target destination. So I say it like this: Have you ever gone on a vacation and you didn't know where you were going? And if that ever happened, how did you pack? 

So I don't know where I'm going. Here's my goals. I'm going to set goals of getting a surfboard, getting skis, getting hunting rifles, getting fishing rods. OK, all those took time to research, I spent resources, I got them, "Yay, I accomplished my goals.""Where you going?""We're going rock climbing." Right? So, these goals did not help me. 

In fact, I wasted valuable hours of my life and valuable resources I could have spent getting me to my destination on stuff that was a complete waste. So now think of it like this: If I said, "We're going to Rome in 2 weeks." All the goals self-populate. 

What do we need to do? We've got to get our passport and visa. We've got to get plane tickets. We've got to get a hotel. We've got to figure out where we're going to eat — and what we're going to go see. So the goals self-populate. So stop wasting time trying to come up with goals. Just come up with a destination and a target of where you want to be and all your goals will self-populate. 

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US Marine and Fortune 500 CEO coach Andrew Wittman explains how he used intermittent fasting to get a lot more toned and finally see his abs. Following is a transcript of the video.

Back in — when I was deployed, I want to say 2010, 2011, coming up to where it was my 45th birthday, I wanted to see my abs. I'm reading all the studies on how you get your body to do that. There was a lot of research on intermittent fasting, and — course, they did the studies on soldiers. Thank you, US Army. 

So they found out your body really doesn't go into starvation mode. You could go 3 weeks on 800 calories and you don't lose any muscle mass as long as you're working out. Well, I could do that. So I started the fasting, the intermittent fasting, consuming my calories between 4 o'clock in the afternoon, 8 o'clock at night, by 8 o'clock at night, I'm done. I don't eat again until 4 o'clock the next day at the earliest. 

And during that time I will drink lots of water. I'll drink black coffee or unsweet tea, and that's pretty much it. I started in Kosovo — we deployed, I can tell you the dates. It was my wife's birthday, February 3. I got back on May the first, I think. I followed this routine for right about 3 months, 12 weeks, 90 days, and I saw my abs... Booyah. 

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At the end of 2014, after more than 13 years of combat operations, 9,800 US troops were to remain in Afghanistan.

That number would be reduced by half at the end of 2015 and reduced again at the end of 2016 to a small military contingent attached to the US embassy.

But the Taliban's continued success on the battlefield and Afghan security forces' poor performance led to a continued US deployment in the country.

At the end of 2016 the US had a force of nearly 10,000 in Afghanistan, though President Barack Obama intended to reduce that force to 5,500 in 2017, the Taliban threat caused a change of plans, and 8,400 troops are to remain in Afghanistan during 2017.

Now the Trump administration is considering sending up to 5,000 more troops to to support Afghan military and police units fighting the Taliban, as well as deploying special-operations forces to counter ISIS and Al Qaeda elements along the Afghan-Pakistan border.

Those deliberations come as the US is failing in its nearly 16-year-long fight — longer than any other US foreign war and most other military operations — in the war-torn country, according to Defense Secretary James Mattis.

"We are not winning in Afghanistan right now. And we will correct this as soon as possible,"Mattis told the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday.

Mattis is not alone in that assessment.

Earlier this year, Army Gen. John Nicholson, the top US commander in Afghanistan and the 12th person to hold that job, called the situation there a stalemate.

Nicholson has also cautioned Congress that more US forces may be needed to counter growing outside influence in Afghanistan — from Russia in particular.

In 16 years of operations in and around Afghanistan, the US has lost some 2,200 troops.

Since 2001, the US has spent about $110 billion on Afghanistan's reconstruction, more than the cost of the Marshall Plan that reconstruct Europe after World War II. Washington has allocated more than $60 billion since 2002 to train and equip Afghan troops.

The US money spent in Afghanistan has yielded few lasting results, however. Security in the country remains precarious and the Taliban is believed to control more territory in Afghanistan than at any time since 2001.

Below, you can see photos documenting the last 16 years the US's "generational" war in Afghanistan.

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Osama bin Laden is seen at an undisclosed location in this television image broadcast Sunday, October 7, 2001. Bin Laden praised God for the September 11 terrorist attacks and swore America "will never dream of security" until "the infidel's armies leave the land of Muhammad," in a videotaped statement aired after the strike launched Sunday by the US and Britain in Afghanistan.

The US and Britain on October 7, 2001, launched a first wave of air strikes against Afghanistan and then US President George W. Bush said the action heralded a "sustained, comprehensive and relentless" campaign against terrorism.

Eyewitnesses said they saw flashes and heard explosions over the Afghan capital of Kabul in the first phase of what the US has said will be a protracted and wide-ranging war against terrorism and the states that support it. The attack had been prepared since the September 11 suicide attacks on the US. 

Mohammed Anwar, left, and an unidentified boy in Kabul, Afghanistan, display pieces of shrapnel from bombs dropped Monday morning, October 8, 2001.

The US and Britain hit Afghanistan and key installations of the Taliban regime with cruise missiles Sunday night for harboring suspected terrorist Osama bin Laden. Many residents of Afghanistan seem unfazed by the bombing after living in war like conditions for more than 20 years.

US Marine artillerymen have been in the fight against ISIS since March 2016— and now there's a new video of their latest exploits in Syria.

In a short video made by Marine Sgt. Matthew Callahan, troops can be seen firing their M777-A2 Howitzers during May and June in support of local coalition partners. This latest video from Callahan follows up on a collection of beautiful portraits of troops overseas that he took back in June.

Filmed in Syria at an "undisclosed location," the Marines can be seen loading and firing artillery, which they have been doing around-the-clock as the Syrian Democratic Forces move further into Raqqa, the ISIS capital.

Check it out:

SEE ALSO: A US Marine photographer shot these beautiful portraits of troops overseas

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Tuesday marks the 241st American Independence Day, "the great anniversary festival,"in the words of founding father John Adams.

"It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever more," Adams wrote.

While many Americans will no doubt live up to Adams' expectations, many US soldiers, sailors, Marines, and coastguardsmen will have to celebrate the holiday far from home.

Below, you can see photos of the missions and duties that have taken those men and women away from home this July Fourth.

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Aviation Electrician's Mate 2nd Class Lucas Mclean, assigned to the "Black Knights" of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 154, displays his patriotic body art aboard the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68), June 30, 2017.

Sailors man a .50-caliber machine gun aboard the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Ross (DDG 71) as the ship transits the Norwegian Sea, June 29, 2017.

An F-15E Strike Eagle fires flares during a flight in support of Operation Inherent Resolve, June 21, 2017.