SOUTH CHINA SEA (April 30, 2023) The aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) fires a 25 mm machine gun during a live-fire exercise in the South China Sea. Nimitz is in the U.S. 7th Fleet conducting routine operations. 7th Fleet is the U.S. Navy's largest forward-deployed numbered fleet, and routinely interacts and operates with allies and partners in preserving a free and open Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Hannah Kantner)