INDIAN OCEAN (Dec. 29, 2020) Sailors receive cargo in the hangar bay of the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) during a replenishment-at-sea with the Lewis and Clark-class dry cargo ship USNS Carl Brashear (T-AKE 7). Nimitz, the flagship of Nimitz Carrier Strike Group, 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 Seaman Joseph Calabrese)