SOUTH CHINA SEA (July 28, 2022) The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Higgins (DDG 76) approaches the Military Sealift Command Henry J. Kaiser-class underway replenishment oiler USNS Tippecanoe (T-AO 199) before receiving supplies while operating in the South China Sea, July 28, 2022. Military Sealift Command Far East ensures approximately 50 ships in the Indo-Pacific region, including Tippecanoe, are manned, trained, and equipped to deliver essential supplies, fuel, cargo, and equipment to warfighters, both at sea and on shore. Under Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet, 7th Fleet is the U.S. Navy's largest forward-deployed numbered fleet and routinely interacts and operates with 35 maritime nations in preserving a free and open Indo-Pacific Region. (U.S. Navy photo by Christopher Bosch)