SEA OF JAPAN (April 12, 2022) An E-2D Hawkeye, assigned to the "Wallbangers" of Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron (VAW) 117, flies over the Sea of Japan during a U.S.-Japan bilateral exercise. During bilateral exercises between Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, the two navies strengthen all-domain awareness and maneuvers across a distributed maritime environment. Bilateral operations like this one reassure our allies and partners of the U.S. commitment to maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Aleksandr Freutel)