An A-10 Thunderbolt II from the 917th Fighter Group at Barksdale Air Force Base, La., is taxied to the runway at an airfield in Afghanistan Jan. 20, 2012. A number of Airmen from the 917th FG, which includes pilots, maintenance and support people, are currently deployed to Southwest Asia to help provide close air support missions for troops on the ground. The A-10, which fires a 30-millimeter cannon and can carry up to 16,000 pounds of ordnance, is the premiere CAS aircraft in the region. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. David Carbajal)