SOUTH CHINA SEA (April 27, 2024) Boatswain's Mate 2nd Class James Joyce, left, from Hayden, Alabama, braces Boatswain's Mate 3rd Class Nicolas White, from Austin, Texas, on the flight deck of the amphibious dock landing ship USS Harpers Ferry (LSD 49) as the ship transits the South China Sea during Exercise Balikatan 24, April 27, 2024. BK 24 is an annual exercise between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the U.S. military designed to strengthen bilateral interoperability, capabilities, trust, and cooperation built over decades of shared experiences. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Sang Kim)