U.S. Coast Guard Senior Chief Petty Officer James Mitchell, a culinary specialist aboard USCGC Polar Star (WAGB 10), displays his Antarctica Service Medal during Operation Deep Freeze 2026 as the cutter sits hove-to on the Ross Sea, Jan. 22, 2026. Pacific Air Forces operates on a 24-hour basis to provide the U.S. National Science Foundation complete joint operational and logistic support for Operation Deep Freeze. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Christopher Bokum)