PHILIPPINE SEA (Sept. 20, 2022) The U.S. Navy’s only forward-deployed aircraft carrier, USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76), prepares to come alongside the Military Sealift Command fleet replenishment oiler, USNS Rappahannock (T-AO 204), for a fueling-at-sea in the Philippine Sea. Fueling-at-sea increases the capability of the U.S. Navy’s carrier force, allowing ships to stay at sea indefinitely by providing aviation fuel anywhere in the world. Ronald Reagan, the flagship of Carrier Strike Group 5, provides a combat-ready force that protects and defends the United States, and supports alliances, partnerships and collective maritime interests in the Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Oswald Felix Jr.)