Soldiers from the U.S. Army's 82nd Airborne Division line up in a U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III to parachute into a drop zone located in Sayram, Kazakhstan, on Sept. 15, 1997. The parachute jump is the culmination of the longest distance airborne operation in history for Exercise Central Asian Battalion '97. Exercise Central Asian Battalion '97 involves more than 900 military personnel from Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Russia, Ukraine and Uzbekistan who are training with over 500 U.S. military troops to hone their skills in peacekeeping and humanitarian assistance. The exercise will enhance regional cooperation and increase interoperability training among NATO and Partnership for Peace nations. The exercise is being held in Shymkent, Kazakhstan, and Chirchik, Uzbekistan.