191218-N-MD802-1029 STRAIT OF HORMUZ (Dec. 18, 2019) An MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopter, attached to the “Proud Warriors” of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 72, takes off from the guided-missile destroyer USS Farragut (DDG 99) during its transit through the Strait of Hormuz with the expeditionary mobile base USS Lewis B. Puller (ESB 3). 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)