180310-N-QR145-099 HAIFA, Israel (March 10, 2018) The Blue Ridge-class command and control ship USS Mount Whitney (LCC 20) departs Haifa, Israel, following a scheduled port visit in support of exercise Juniper Cobra 2018 (JC18), March 10. JC18 is a computer-assisted exercise conducted through computer simulations focused on improving combined missile defense capabilities and overall interoperability between the U.S. European Command and Israel Defense Force. Mount Whitney, forward-deployed to Gaeta, Italy, operates with a combined crew of U.S. Navy Sailors and Military Sealift Command civil service mariners. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Krystina Coffey/ Released)