USCGC Polar Star (WAGB 10) crew members present Antarctica Service Medals for Operation Deep Freeze 2026 while the cutter sits hove-to in the Ross Sea, Jan. 22, 2026. The U.S. is committed to a free and open Indo-Pacific region, one in which the U.S. National Science Foundation-sponsored research and science programs can be conducted for the betterment of all humanity. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Christopher Bokum)