INDIAN OCEAN (Dec. 29, 2020) Quartermaster Seaman Cedric Maxwell, from Buffalo, New York, awaits the Lewis and Clark-class dry cargo ship USNS Charles Brashear (T-AKE 7) as a bow-to-stern walker on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68). 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 3rd Class Elliot Schaudt)