Pilots assigned to the 108th Aerial Refueling Squadron take off on a return flight to Scott Air Force Base, Ill., aboard a KC-135R Stratotanker assigned to the 126th Air Refueling Wing, April 16, 2014. USSTRATCOM relies on various task forces for the execution of its global missions, including space operations, information operations, missile defense, global command and control; intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR); global strike and strategic deterrence, and combating weapons of mass destruction. The 126 ARW, an Illinois Air National Guard unit stationed at Scott Air Force Base, supports USSTRATCOM's global strike and strategic deterrence missions through aerial refueling with the KC-135R Stratotanker to deter regional and strategic threats from adversaries with ground warfare capabilities. (Air National Guard photo by Senior Airman Elise Stout)