STRAIT OF HORMUZ (Sept. 18, 2020) Sailors man a .50-caliber machine gun on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier of USS Nimitz (CVN 68) during a Strait of Hormuz transit, Sept. 18, 2020. The Nimitz 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. With Nimitz as the flagship, deployed strike group assets include staffs, ships and aircraft of Carrier Strike Group 11, Destroyer Squadron 9, USS Princeton (CG 59) and Carrier Air Wing 17. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Cheyenne Geletka)