USCGC Polar Star escorts the motor vessel Stena Polaris, the largest fuel tanker ever to reach McMurdo Station, through the ice-covered Ross Sea during Operation Deep Freeze 2026, Jan. 21, 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)