200216-N-GR168-1039 ARABIAN GULF (Feb. 16, 2020) Command Master Chief Ben Hodges, the command master chief of the amphibious transport dock ship USS New York (LPD 21), gives a liberty brief in the ship’s chapel. New York, with the Bataan Amphibious Ready Group and with embarked 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), is deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations in support of naval operations to ensure maritime stability and security in the Central Region, connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Pacific Ocean through the western Indian Ocean and three strategic choke points. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Lyle Wilkie/Released)