191218-N-MD802-1013 STRAIT OF HORMUZ (Dec. 18, 2019) The guided-missile destroyer USS Farragut (DDG 99) and the expeditionary mobile base USS Lewis B. Puller (ESB 3) transit through the Strait of Hormuz. Farragut is operating in 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 3rd Class Jack D. Aistrup/Released)