STRAIT OF HORMUZ (Nov. 9, 2020) Gunner's Mate 3rd Class Tianna Hester, from Barre, Mass., stands watch on the flight deck as the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) transits the Strait of Hormuz. 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 critical to the free flow of global commerce. 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 Elliot Schaudt)