SOUTH CHINA SEA (Feb. 7, 2022) Lt. Troy Moens, left, from Bothell, Wash., and Chief Gunner's Mate Ronald Clark, from Temecula, Calif., participate in a live fire gunnery exercise using a .50 caliber machine gun aboard the Independence-variant littoral combat ship USS Charleston (LCS 18). Charleston, part of Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 7, is on a rotational deployment in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operation to enhance interoperability with partners and serve as a ready-response force in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Ryan M. Breeden)