SOUTH CHINA SEA (Sept. 25, 2022) Ensign Matthew Breindl, gunnery officer aboard the forward-deployed amphibious transport dock ship USS New Orleans (LPD 18), issues orders to the master helmsman as conning officer from the starboard bridge wing as the ship pulls alongside USNS Big Horn (T-AO 198) for an underway replenishment-at-sea while in the South China Sea. New Orleans, part of the Tripoli Amphibious Ready Group, along with the 31st MEU, is operating in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of responsibility to enhance interoperability with allies and partners and serve as a ready response force to defend peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Desmond Parks)