PHILIPPINE SEA (Nov. 11, 2023) Royal Australian Navy Commodore Michael Harris, left, director general for maritime operations; Royal Canadian Navy Capt. Robert Watt, Canadian defense attaché to Japan; U.S. Navy Vice Adm. Karl Thomas, commander of U.S. 7th Fleet; and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force Vice Adm. Akira Saito, commander in chief of the Self-Defense Fleet, pose for a photograph on the flight deck aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) during Annual Exercise (ANNUALEX) 2023. ANNUALEX is a multilateral exercise conducted by naval elements of the Royal Australian, Royal Canadian, Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, and U.S. navies to demonstrate naval interoperability and a joint commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific. Vinson, flagship of Carrier Strike Group 1, is deployed to the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Joshua Sapien)