SOUTH CHINA SEA (April 22, 2024) Capt. Brian Schrum, commanding officer of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71), speaks with Sailors during a discussion forum on the mess decks, April 22, 2024. Theodore Roosevelt, flagship of Carrier Strike Group Nine, is underway conducting routine operations 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 Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Apprentice Aaron Haro Gonzalez)