IVO NATUNA-BESAR ISLAND (April 30, 2024) Sailors prepare an F/A-18E Super Hornet from the "Flying Checkmates" of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 211 for launch on the flight deck aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) in the vicinity of Natuna-Besar Island, Indonesia, April 30, 2024. U.S. Indo-Pacific Command forces perform operations in and around critical sea passages and trade thoroughfares to deter threats that create regional instability and impinge on the free flow of goods, people, and ideas. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Adina Phebus)