SOUTH CHINA SEA (May 11, 2024) The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Daniel Inouye (DDG 118) transits the South China Sea, May 11, 2024. Daniel Inouye, part 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)