FLEET ACTIVITIES SASEBO, Japan (March 14, 2024) Capt. Patrick German, right, commanding officer of the forward-deployed amphibious transport dock ship USS New Orleans (LPD 18), and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force Capt. Tomohiro Tomimatsu, commanding officer of the guided-missile destroyer JS Haguro (DDG 180), salute each other during a flag exchange ceremony hosted aboard Haguro, March 14, 2024. New Orleans, part of the America Amphibious Ready Group, is forward deployed in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations. U.S. 7th Fleet is the U.S. Navy's largest forward-deployed numbered fleet, and routinely interacts and operates with allies and partners in preserving a free and open Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Lt. j.g. Allysin C. Marsico)