ATLANTIC OCEAN (March 12, 2023) Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Handling) 1st Class Carlos Rodriguez, assigned to the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), prepares to direct aircraft during flight operations on the flight deck, March 13, 2023. Gerald R. Ford is underway in the Atlantic Ocean executing its Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX), an intense, multi-week exercise designed to fully integrate a carrier strike group as a cohesive, multi-mission fighting force and to test their ability to carry out sustained combat operations from the sea. As the first-in-class ship of Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carriers, CVN 78 represents a generational leap in the U.S. Navy's capacity to project power on a global scale. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Nolan Pennington)