190722-N-ZQ950-1005 CORAL SEA (July 22, 2019) Sailors prepare an F/A-18E Super Hornet from Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 27 to launch from the flight deck aboard the Navy’s forward-deployed aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76). Ronald Reagan is participating in Talisman Sabre 2019, which illustrates the closeness of the Australian and U.S. alliance and the strength of the military-to-military relationship. It is the eighth iteration of this exercise. Ronald Reagan, the flagship of Carrier Strike Group 5, provides a combat-ready force that protects and defends the collective maritime interests of its allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo By Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Handling) 3rd Class Kimani J. Wint/Released)