STRAIT OF HORMUZ (Nov. 9 2020) An MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter, from the "Screamin' Indians" of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 6, prepares to take off from the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) while transiting 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 Sea and the Pacific Ocean 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, the guided-missile cruiser USS Princeton (CG 59) and Carrier Air Wing 17. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Class Caitlin Flynn)