ARABIAN GULF (Dec. 18, 2020) The guided-missile destroyer USS John Paul Jones (DDG 53) fires its Mark 45 5-inch gun during a live-fire exercise in the Arabian Gulf, Dec. 18, 2020. John Paul Jones is part of the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group and 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)