U.S. Navy Sailors participate in small boat operations aboard Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62) in the South China Sea, May 5, 2026. Fitzgerald is forward-deployed and assigned to Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 15, the Navy’s largest DESRON and U.S. 7th Fleet’s principal surface force. U.S. 7th Fleet, the Navy’s largest forward-deployed numbered fleet, routinely interacts and operates with allies and partners in preserving a free and open Indo-Pacific. (U.S. Navy video by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Victoria Armstrong)
