The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Russell (DDG 59) sails in formation with the Italian navy Carlo Bergamini-class frigate ITS Alpino (F 594), the flagship of the Italian Navy aircraft carrier ITS Cavour (CV 550) and the Italian Navy multipurpose combat ship ITS Raimondo Montecuccoli (P432) in the South China Sea, Sept. 9, 2024. Russell is forward-deployed and assigned to Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 15, the Navy's largest DESRON and the U.S. 7th Fleet's principal surface force. 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 3rd Class John A. Miller)