SOUTH CHINA SEA (June 12, 2024) Sailors assigned to the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Ralph Johnson (DDG 114) participate in a visit, board, search and seizure exercise, June 12, 2024. Ralph Johnson, 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 1st Class Jamaal Liddell)