SOUTH CHINA SEA (March 15, 2023) The guided-missile destroyer USS Chung Hoon (DDG 93) approaches the amphibious assault ship USS Makin Island (LHD 8) during a fueling-at-sea (FAS) aboard Makin Island in the South China Sea. The ability to refuel ships at sea demonstrates the mobility and sustainability provided by amphibious platforms that gives our Navy/Marine Corps team an asymmetric advantage in a maritime environment. Makin Island and Chung Hoon of Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 11 are operating in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations, the U.S. Navy's largest forward-deployed numbered fleet, routinely operating with Allies and partners in preserving a free and open Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Kendra Helmbrecht)