RED SEA (Oct. 18, 2021) The guided-missile destroyer USS O’Kane (DDG 77), bottom right, escorts mine countermeasures ships USS Sentry (MCM 3), left, and USS Gladiator (MCM 11) through the Bab-el-Mandeb strait, marking the first time MCMs have entered the Red Sea in seven years, Oct. 18, 2021. O’Kane 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 Pacific through the Western Indian Ocean and three strategic choke points. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Elisha Smith)