SOUTH CHINA SEA (July 30, 2021) The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS The Sullivans (DDG 68) prepares for an underway replenishment with the Military Sealift Command Henry J. Kaiser-class replenishment oiler USNS Tippecanoe (T-AO 199) in the South China Sea. The Sullivans is currently on deployment to the 7th Fleet Area of Responsibility as part of the United Kingdom Carrier Strike Group. As the U.S. Navy's largest forward-deployed fleet, 7th Fleet employs 50-70 ships and submarines across the western Pacific and Indian Oceans. 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 Martin Hanninen)