APRA HARBOR, Guam (Aug. 28, 2021) Gunners Mate 1st Class Nicholas Rios, from Phelan, Calif., tests for seal on his breathing apparatus in the mission bay aboard Independence-variant littoral combat ship USS Jackson (LCS 6)...

Naval Air Crewman 2nd Class Oleg Bylogurov, from Portland, Ore., inspects the tail rotor of an MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter attached to Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 21 assigned to Independence-variant littoral combat ship USS Charleston (LCS 18), Aug. 28...

Sailors train using pistols during small arms training aboard Independence-variant littoral combat ship USS Charleston (LCS 18), Aug. 27...

Chief Mineman Daniel Chaboya, from Tucson, Ariz., climbs a ladder during damage control training aboard Independence-variant littoral combat ship USS Charleston (LCS 18), Aug. 26...

Sailors participate in an aircraft firefighting and medical training exercise aboard the Independence-variant littoral combat ship USS Tulsa (LCS 16), Aug. 27, 2021...

Naval Aircrewmen (Helicopter) 2nd Class Nicolas Lopez from Artesia, Calif., keeps a lookout during flight operations inside of a MH-60S Seahwak helicopter assigned to the “Blackjacks” of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 21 aboard the Independence-variant littoral combat ship USS Tulsa (LCS 16),...

A massive CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter touches down on Farallon de Medinilla: a windswept, uninhabited tropical island in the middle of the Mariana Islands in the western Pacific...

USS America (LHA 6), the Navy’s only forward-deployed amphibious assault ship, conducted a fueling-at-sea (FAS) with USS Charleston (LCS 18) in the Philippine Sea, Aug. 20...

PHILIPPINE SEA - USS America (LHA 6), the Navy’s only forward-deployed amphibious assault ship, participated in cyclic flight operations with HMS Queen Elizabeth (R 08) in the Philippine Sea, Aug. 22-24...

PACIFIC OCEAN (Aug. 24, 2021) Lt. Julianne Dahlman, from Charleston, S.C., stands watch on the bridge as the junior officer of the deck on the bridge during Sea and Anchor aboard Independence-variant littoral combat ship USS Jackson (LCS 6)...

Hull Maintenance Technician 1st Class Jacob Williams, right, from Simi Valley, Calif., tests a portable exothermic cutting unit and Mineman 2nd Class Santiago Lopez, from Bronx, N.Y., stands by with a fire extinguisher aboard Independence-variant littoral combat ship USS Charleston (LCS 18), Aug...

210820-N-IO312-1303 An F-35B Lightning II fighter aircraft from Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 211, embarked on the Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth (R08), takes off from the flight deck of the forward-deployed amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6) during flight...

SINGAPORE -- Vice President Kamala Harris visited the Independence-variant littoral combat ship USS Tulsa (LCS 16) while moored in Changi Naval Base, Singapore, August 23...

PHILIPPINE SEA (Aug. 22, 2021) Sailors stand by for flight operations for an MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter attached to Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 21 assigned to Independence-variant littoral combat ship USS Charleston (LCS 18), Aug. 22...

Aviation Boatswain’s Mate 3rd Class Elena Gurule, from Rio Rancho, N.M., spots an F-35B Lightning II fighter aircraft from Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 211, embarked on the Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth (R08), on the flight deck of the forward-deployed amphibious assault...

SINGAPORE - The 20th annual Southeast Asia Cooperation and Training (SEACAT) exercise concluded Aug. 20, following 10 days of in-person and at-sea engagements that enhanced collaboration among Indo-Pacific partners and focused on shared maritime security challenges of the region...

Gunner's Mate 2nd Class Daniel Cox, from Leavenworth, Kan., stows 57mm rounds aboard Independence-variant littoral combat ship USS Charleston (LCS 18), Aug. 18...

Sailors lower a rigid-hulled inflatable boat to the side of Independence-variant littoral combat ship USS Charleston (LCS 18) during boat operations, Aug. 18...

Command Senior Chief Donald Alvarado, from Tucson, Ariz., poses for a photo aboard Independence-variant littoral combat ship USS Charleston (LCS 18), Aug. 16...

USS Higgins (DDG 76) moors alongside USS Howard (DDG 83) after arriving in Yokosuka, Aug. 16. (U.S. Navy/Roy Isobe)...

Naval Aircrewmen (Helicopter) 2nd Class Nicolas Lopez from Artesia, Calif. and Brandon Matlock from Spokane, Wash., keeps a lookout during flight operations inside of a MH-60S Seahawk helicopter assigned to the “Blackjacks” of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 21 aboard the Independence-variant...

Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) destroyer JS Makinami (DD 112) took charge as Sea Combat Commander (SCC) during Combined and Joint Battle Problem (CJBP) Aug. 5-10 alongside the USS America (LHA 6) Expeditionary Strike Group and the Royal Australian Navy’s (RAN) HMAS Ballarat (FFH 155) and...

APRA HARBOR, Guam (Aug. 6, 2021) Sailors ride in a rigid-hulled inflatable boat attached to Independence-variant littoral combat ship USS Charleston (LCS 18), Aug. 6...

Cmdr. Brandon Cornes from Baltimore, Md., the commanding officer oversees a replenishment-at-sea (RAS) aboard the Independence-variant littoral combat ship USS Tulsa (LCS 16) with Henry J. Kaiser-class underway replenishment oiler USNS Tippecanoe (T-AO 199), Aug. 04, 2021...

Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) and ships assigned to the Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group (VINCSG) arrived in the Hawaii Island Operating Area as part of Large-Scale Exercise (LSE) 2021, August 8...