SOUTH CHINA SEA (May 1, 2024) Sailors aboard the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Russell (DDG 59) handle supply pallets during a replenishment-at-sea with the Henry J. Kaiser-class fleet replenishment oiler USNS John Ericsson (T-AO 194) in the South China Sea, May 1, 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 John A. Miller)