PHILIPPINE SEA (Sept. 8, 2020) Aviation Boatswain's Mate (Equipment) 3rd Class Brittney Valenzuela, left, from El Paso, Texas, stands center deck watch as Lt. Rodney Wagstaff, from Slidell, Louisiana, signals an F/A-18E Super Hornet, attached to the "Royal Maces" of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 27, to launch from the flight deck of the Navy's only forward-deployed aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76). Ronald Reagan, the flagship of Carrier Strike Group 5, provides a combat-ready force that protects and defends the United States, as well as the collective maritime interests of its allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Erica Bechard)