INDIAN OCEAN (July 22, 2023) The U.S. Navy's only forward-deployed aircraft carrier, USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76), steams in formation with the Virginia-class fast-attack submarine USS North Carolina (SSN 777), the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruisers USS Robert Smalls (CG 62) and USS Antietam (CG 54) and the Royal Australian Navy frigate HMAS Perth (FFH 157) during Talisman Sabre 23 in the Indian Ocean, July 22, 2023. 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. Talisman Sabre is the largest bilateral military exercise between Australia and the United States advancing a free and open Indo-Pacific by strengthening relationships and interoperability among key Allies and enhancing our collective capabilities to respond to a wide array of potential security concerns. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Jordan Brown)