181221-N-HX510-0102 STRAIT OF HORMUZ (Dec. 21, 2018) The guided-missile destroyer USS Mitscher (DDG 57), left, the dry cargo and ammunition ship USNS Charles Drew (T-AKE 10), the fleet replenishment oiler USNS Guadalupe (T-AO 300), and the guided-missile cruiser USS Mobile Bay (CG 53) transit the Strait of Hormuz, Dec. 21, 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 Apprentice Jarrod A. Schad/Released)