SOUTH CHINA SEA (July 3, 2023) Quartermaster Seaman Brendan Epps, from Pensacola, Florida, records ship movements and actions on the bridge aboard the U.S. Navy's only forward-deployed aircraft carrier, USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76), during a replenishment-at-sea with the Military Sealift Command fleet replenishment oiler USNS Rappahannock (T-AO 204) in the South China Sea, July 3, 2023. Commander, Task Force 73 (CTF) in coordination with Military Sealift Command Far East (MSC FE) refuels and resupplies deployed naval forces, along with regional Allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific. 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 2nd Class Louis Thompson Staats IV)