SOUTH CHINA SEA (Feb. 9, 2021) Sailors ready an F/A-18E Super Hornet assigned to the “Blue Diamonds” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 146 for launch from the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) while conducting dual-carrier operations with the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group in the South China Sea, Feb. 9, 2021. The Theodore Roosevelt and Nimitz Carrier Strike Groups are conducting dual-carrier operations during their deployments to the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations. As the U.S. Navy’s largest forward-deployed fleet, U.S. 7th Fleet routinely operates and interacts with 35 maritime nations while conducting missions to preserve and protect a free and open Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Zachary Wheeler)