PHILIPPINE SEA (Feb. 4, 2024) Gunner's Mate 1st Class Earl Gesch, left, from Garden City, Mich., observes Gunner's Mate 2nd Class Erik Nicholls, from Battle Creek, Mich., fire a .50-caliber machine gun during a weapons training exercise aboard the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Daniel Inouye (DDG 118), Feb. 4, 2024. Daniel Inouye, part of Carrier Strike Group Nine, is underway conducting routine operations in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations. An integral part of U.S. Pacific Fleet, U.S. 7th Fleet operates naval forces in the Indo-Pacific and provides the realistic, relevant training necessary to execute the U.S. Navy's role across the full spectrum of military operations- from combat operations to humanitarian assistance and disaster relief. U.S. 7th Fleet works together with our allies and partners to advance freedom of navigation, the rule of the law, and other principles that underpin security for the Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Richard Tinker)