180620-N-VV532-357 PACIFIC OCEAN (June 26, 2018) The littoral combat ship USS Montgomery (LCS 8) departs Naval Base San Diego to conduct routine operations and training in the Pacific Ocean. Littoral combat ships are high-speed, agile, shallow draft, mission-focused surface combatants designed for operations in the littoral environment, yet fully capable of open ocean operations. As part of the surface fleet, LCS has the ability to counter and outpace evolving threats independently or within a network of surface combatants. (U.S. Navy photo courtesy of Muckley Photography/Released)