
A newly-released gallery shows some of the highlights of the United States' military's year in pictures.

The American armed forces official Year In Photos showcases a wide range of training, equipment and locations where manoeuvres are carried out.

The images include soldiers conducting 'fire phobia training' in Kosovo by being engulfed in flame, troops jumping out of an Air Force C-17 Globemaster III airplane over Alaska, and paratroopers being welcomed home by their families.

One photograph even shows a southern black racer snake slithering across the rifle barrel held by a junior Army National Guard sniper as he practices woodland stalking in Florida.

Each year the U.S Army releases the gallery to mark the end of another year of military life, with the very best of the visuals selected by Cover Images.

Take a look at the impressive gallery for 2018 below.

Engineers conduct M2A3 Bradley fighting vehicle gunnery qualification on March 27, 2018, at Orchard Combat Training Center, in Boise, Idaho. Combat engineers with the 116th Brigade Engineer Battalion trained through gunnery table XII, evaluating their ability to execute collective platoon-level tasks in a tactical live-fire environment; including integrating dismounted soldiers with their assigned BFV

Some family members couldn't wait to welcome nearly 400 paratroopers from the 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division home on June 2, 2018, at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, after their return from a nine-month deployment to Afghanistan in support of Operation Freedom's Sentinel

Montana Army National Guard Soldier fires the M136E1 AT4-CS confined light anti-armor weapon while competing in the National Guard Best Warrior at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska on May 15, 2018

A southern black racer snake slithers across the rifle barrel held by a junior Army National Guard sniper as he practices woodland stalking in a camouflaged ghillie suit at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida on April 7, 2018

U.S. Army crew chief flying on board the CH-47F Chinook, observe the successful test of threat countermeasures during a training flight in Afghanistan on March 14, 2018. The Army crews and Air Force Guardian Angel teams conducted the exercise to build teamwork and procedures as they provide joint personnel recovery capability, aiding in the delivery of decisive air power for U.S. Central Command

Soldiers conducted fire phobia training at Camp Marechal de Lattre de Tassigny, Kosovo on May 2, 2018. The training familiarizes crowd riot control forces with tactics and techniques for reacting to and mitigating the threat of improvised incendiary devices or weapons such as Molotov cocktails

A Soldier exits a Black Hawk helicopter via a rope during a demonstration at the 6th Ranger Training Battalion's open house event on May 5, 2018, at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. The event was a chance for the public to learn how Rangers train and operate

A paratrooper walks to the rally point after completing an airborne training jump at Malemute drop zone, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska on January 9, 2018. The Soldiers of 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division, belong to the only American airborne brigade in the Pacific and are trained to execute airborne maneuvers in extreme cold weather and high altitude environments in support of combat, training and disaster relief operations

Two Soldiers with the Airborne and Ranger Training Brigade demonstrate hand-to-hand combat maneuvers during the Rangers In Action demonstration preceding the Ranger Course graduation at Fort Benning, Georgia on October 26, 2018

Soldiers from the United States Army shoot the AT4 Rocket Launcher at notional targets on August 22, 2018, in Fort Drum, New York

North Carolina National Guard's 30th Armored Brigade Combat Team participated in an exportable Combat Training Capability exercise on August 22, 2018. The XCTC has over 4,000 Citizen-Soldiers from Minnesota, North Carolina, South Carolina, West Virginia, and the country of Moldova honing their combat skills of 'Shoot, Move, Communicate, and Sustain'

A U.S. Army Task Force Brawler CH-47F Chinook releases flares while conducting a training exercise with a Guardian Angel team assigned to the 83rd Expeditionary Rescue Squadron at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan on March 26, 2018

Maneuver Center of Excellence leaders, Family and friends of Ranger Class 02-18 gather to watch the Rangers in Action demonstration at Fort Benning, Georgia on January 26, 2018

A little girl holds her father's hand during a Family Safety Day parade supported by the USO and other organizations on March 16, 2018, at U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden, Germany

A U.S. Army Golden Knights team member jumps out of an aircraft during AirPower Over Hampton Roads Air and Space Expo at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia, May 20, 2018. The team conducts demonstrations, competitions and tandem jumps to connect the Army with the American public

Transfer cases, containing the remains of what are believed to be U.S. service members lost in the Korean War, line the bay of a U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III aircraft during an honorable carry ceremony at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, August 1, 2018

Soldiers from 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, fight range fires during an M1A2 Abrams tank gunnery operation on March 8, 2018, at Fort Carson, Colorado

A U.S. Army Task Force Brawler CH-47F Chinook flies while conducting a training exercise with a Guardian Angel team assigned to the 83rd Expeditionary Rescue Squadron at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan on March 26, 2018

Troopers fire the main gun round at a target during unit gunnery on March 29, at Fort Stewart, Georgia. This gunnery marked the first time 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, troopers fired their newly received M1A1-SA Abrams Tanks since the brigade converted from a light to an armored brigade combat team

Elements of the 2nd Cavalry Regiment aboard German M3 Amphibious Bridging Vehicles cross the Nemen River near Kulautuva, Lithuania, during Saber Strike 18 on June 13, 2018. Saber Strike is an annual multinational exercise currently in its eighth year that helps participating militaries maintain readiness and interoperability

An M1 Abrams Tank master gunner performed a remote-fire procedure, to ensure the tank's proper functions at Bemowo Piskie Training Area, Poland, November 6, 2018

Combat engineers from the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, blast through a concrete wall during demolition training at Fort Hood, Texas on July 17, 2018

The remaining teams of Ranger-qualified Soldiers take part in several events to test physical endurance, mental agility, and technical and tactical skills for the 2018 Best Ranger Competition, at Fort Benning, Georgia, April 14, 2018. The David E. Grange Jr. Best Ranger Competition is an annual event in its 35th iteration to determine the top-performing two-person Ranger team from units across the Army as well as sister services

A U.S. Army Special Forces Soldier assigned to 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne), conducts advanced marksmanship drills during a training event at Panzer Kaserne, Germany on March 18, 2018. This was part of a month-long training event to evaluate team skills and readiness

The 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard) Caisson Platoon, support a funeral during heavy snowfall at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia on March 21 2018

Paratroopers jump from an Air Force C-17 Globemaster III with the 517th Airlift Squadron during airborne training over Malemute drop zone, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, on January 9, 2018. The Soldiers of assigned to the 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division, belong to the only American airborne brigade in the Pacific and are trained to execute airborne maneuvers in extreme cold weather and high altitude environments in support of combat, training and disaster relief operations

A U.S Army soldier navigates an obstacle course on March 20, 2018. The American armed forces official 2018 Year In Photos showcases the wide range of training, equipment and locations where manoeuvres are carried out

The 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment's Horse Detachment, conducts the ceremonial Last Charge as a farewell to the outgoing commander during a change of command ceremony on Fort Irwin, California on June 28, 2018

The 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment's Horse Detachment, conducts the ceremonial Last Charge as a farewell to the outgoing commander during a change of command ceremony on Fort Irwin, California on June 28, 2018

A Soldier assists with railhead operations in subzero temperatures at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska on January 30, 2018, as part of Arctic Thrust, a short-notice rapid deployment exercise

Soldiers demonstrate the capabilities and skills of the Military Working Dogs on Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, Virginia on March 6, 2018. The 947th Military Police Detachment, 289th MP Company, 4th Battalion, 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard), is the second largest MWD Kennel in the Continental United States