GULF OF THAILAND (May 26, 2022) Gunner’s Mate 1st Class Christopher Cardenas, from Fort Worth, Texas, descends a ladder onto a 7-meter rigid-hull inflatable boat (RIB) during a visit, board, search and seizure drill with the Royal Thai Navy aboard the Independence-variant littoral combat ship USS Jackson (LCS 6) during Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) Thailand 2022, May 26, 2022. CARAT Thailand is an annual bilateral naval exercise between the U.S. Navy and Royal Thai Navy. Thailand has been part of the CARAT exercise series since 1995. Now in its 28th year, the CARAT series comprises multiple multinational exercises, designed to enhance U.S. and allied and partner navies’ abilities to operate together in response to traditional and non-traditional Maritime security challenges in the Indo-Pacific. (U.S. Navy photo by Lt. j.g. Alexandra Green)