SOUTH CHINA SEA (May 1, 2024) An MH-60R Sea Hawk, assigned to the “Wolf Pack” of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 75 takes off the flight deck aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) in the vicinity of the South China Sea, May 1, 2024. USINDOPACOM 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 Seaman Apprentice Aaron Haro Gonzalez)