181216-N-HS117-0055 ARABIAN SEA (Dec. 16, 2018) A Sailor assigned to Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron (VAW) 117 conducts a pre-flight inspection on an E-2C Hawkeye assigned to VAW 117, on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) in the Arabian Sea, Dec. 16, 2018. The John C. Stennis Carrier Strike Group is deployed to 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 and the Pacific through the western Indian Ocean and three strategic choke points. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Jeffery L. Southerland/Released)