MEDITERRANEAN SEA (Oct. 11, 2023) Aviation Boatswain's Mate (Fuels) 1st Class Thomas Watson, from Winona, Miss., assigned to the air department of the world's largest aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), stands by to operate a sound-powered telephone at a fueling station during a fueling-at-sea in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, Oct. 11, 2023. Gerald R. Ford is the U.S. Navy's newest and most advanced aircraft carrier, representing a generational leap in the U.S. Navy's capacity to project power on a global scale. The Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group is currently operating in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, at the direction of the Secretary of Defense. The U.S. maintains forward-deployed, ready, and postured forces to deter aggression and support security and stability around the world. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Tajh Payne)