SOUTH CHINA SEA (April 19, 2024) Seaman Bryce Brandenburg, from Denver, stands starboard watch on the bridge wing aboard the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Russell (DDG 59) during a vertical replenishment in the South China Sea, April 19, 2024. Russell, part of Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 9, 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 3rd Class John A. Miller)