ARABIAN GULF (Oct. 13, 2020) Culinary Specialist 2nd Class Eric Melton, from Corsicana, Texas, decorates a cake to celebrate the U.S. Navy's 245th birthday on the mess deck of the guided-missile destroyer USS John Paul Jones (DDG 53) in the Arabian Gulf. John Paul Jones is part of Nimitz Carrier Strike Group and is deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations to ensure maritime stability and security in the Central Region, connecting the Mediterranean Sea and Pacific Ocean through the western Indian Ocean and three critical chokepoints to the free flow of global commerce. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Aja Bleu Jackson)