ARABIAN GULF (Dec. 2, 2020) Sailors assigned to the guided-missile destroyer USS John Paul Jones (DDG 53) participate in a crew served weapons live-fire exercise with an M2 .50-caliber machine gun in the Arabian Gulf, Dec. 2, 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 critical to the free flow of global commerce. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Aja Bleu Jackson)