Amphibious assault ship USS Makin Island (LHD 8), amphibious transport docks USS Anchorage (LPD 23) and USS John P. Murtha (LPD 26), expeditionary mobile base USS Miguel Keith (ESB 5), and Philippine navy ships BRP Jose Rizal (FF-150), BRP Gregorio Del Pilar (PS 15), and BRP Tarlac (FF 601) transit the South China Sea for Balikatan 23, April 19, 2023. Balikatan is an annual exercise between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and U.S. military designed to strengthen bilateral interoperability, capabilities, trust, and cooperation built over decades of shared experiences. The Makin Island Amphibious Ready Group, comprised of Makin Island, Anchorage, and John P. Murtha, is operating in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations with the embarked 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit to enhance interoperability with Allies and partners and serve as a ready-response force to defend peace and maintain stability in the Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Joshua Martinez) - Amphibious assault ship USS Makin Island (LHD 8), amphibious transport docks USS Anchorage (LPD 23) and USS John P. Murtha (LPD 26), expeditionary mobile base USS Miguel Keith (ESB 5), and Philippine navy ships BRP Jose Rizal (FF-150), BRP Gregorio Del Pilar (PS 15), and BRP Tarlac (FF 601) transit the South China Sea for Balikatan 23, April 19, 2023. Balikatan is an annual exercise between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and U.S. military designed to strengthen bilateral interoperability, capabilities, trust, and cooperation built over decades of shared experiences. The Makin Island Amphibious Ready Group, comprised of Makin Island, Anchorage, and John P. Murtha, is operating in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations with the embarked 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit to enhance interoperability with Allies and partners and serve as a ready-response force to defend peace and maintain stability in the Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Joshua Martinez)

U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Joshua Peters, a Marine Corps Total Force System clerk with Service Company, Regional Disbursing Office - West, Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, and Col. Daniel Whitley, the assistant chief of staff of Government and External Affairs, with Marine Corps Installations -West, MCB Camp Pendleton, pose for a photo at the MCI-West headquarters on Camp Pendleton, California, April 29, 2023. Lance Cpl. Peters met with Col. Whitley to showcase leadership that can be capable at all levels of the chain, from small unit to flag officers. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Andrew Cortez) - U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Joshua Peters, a Marine Corps Total Force System clerk with Service Company, Regional Disbursing Office - West, Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, and Col. Daniel Whitley, the assistant chief of staff of Government and External Affairs, with Marine Corps Installations -West, MCB Camp Pendleton, pose for a photo at the MCI-West headquarters on Camp Pendleton, California, April 29, 2023. Lance Cpl. Peters met with Col. Whitley to showcase leadership that can be capable at all levels of the chain, from small unit to flag officers. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Andrew Cortez)

U.S. Marine Corps 1st Lt. Stephanie A. Baer, a communication strategy and operations officer with II Marine Expeditionary Force, poses for a photo with senior leadership at the annual Marine Corps Association information awards dinner in Arlington, Virginia, April 20, 2023. Baer received the Information Officer of the Year Award for outstanding performance in the information occupational field. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Rachaelanne Woodward) - U.S. Marine Corps 1st Lt. Stephanie A. Baer, a communication strategy and operations officer with II Marine Expeditionary Force, poses for a photo with senior leadership at the annual Marine Corps Association information awards dinner in Arlington, Virginia, April 20, 2023. Baer received the Information Officer of the Year Award for outstanding performance in the information occupational field. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Rachaelanne Woodward)

U.S. Marines with 1st Marine Expeditionary Force and 3rd Marine Expeditionary Force, help construct the Modular Fuel Tank System in South Bend, Indiana, April 18, 2023. The purpose of prototype tank capability training is to gain operational advantage in the emplacement of fuel storage capacity throughout the joint force and attendees of this training will become subject matter experts; able to train other Marines, members of the joint force, and personnel across our network of allies and partners. The new fuel system only requires a small team to construct and can move with the unit to austere environments. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Haley Fourmet Gustavsen) - U.S. Marines with 1st Marine Expeditionary Force and 3rd Marine Expeditionary Force, help construct the Modular Fuel Tank System in South Bend, Indiana, April 18, 2023. The purpose of prototype tank capability training is to gain operational advantage in the emplacement of fuel storage capacity throughout the joint force and attendees of this training will become subject matter experts; able to train other Marines, members of the joint force, and personnel across our network of allies and partners. The new fuel system only requires a small team to construct and can move with the unit to austere environments. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Haley Fourmet Gustavsen)

U.S. Marines with 2nd Platoon, Charlie Company, 1st Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, and members of the 2nd Intai Amfibi Battalion, Indonesian Korps Marinir, paddle back to shore on a combat rubber raiding craft during a reconnaissance exercise at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California, April 15, 2023. The Marines of 1st Recon Bn. host the bilateral training exercise annually to foster a spirit of cooperation and mutual respect between Indonesian service members and 1st MARDIV Marines and promote cultural exchange and understanding. - U.S. Marines with 2nd Platoon, Charlie Company, 1st Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, and members of the 2nd Intai Amfibi Battalion, Indonesian Korps Marinir, paddle back to shore on a combat rubber raiding craft during a reconnaissance exercise at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California, April 15, 2023. The Marines of 1st Recon Bn. host the bilateral training exercise annually to foster a spirit of cooperation and mutual respect between Indonesian service members and 1st MARDIV Marines and promote cultural exchange and understanding.

230427-N-CD453-1098 YELLOW SEA (April 27, 2023) U.S. Army AH-64D/E Apache helicopters attached to the 5th Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Combat Aviation Brigade, fly alongside Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS John Finn (DDG 113) as the ship sails in formation with Republic of Korea Navy ships Sejong the Great-class guided-missile destroyer ROKS Sejong the Great (DDG 991), Daegu-class frigate ROKS Seoul (FFG-821), Gwangaetto the Great-class multipurpose destroyer ROKS Eulji Mundeok (DDH-972), Chungmugong Yi Sun-sin-class multipurpose destroyer ROKS Choe Yeong (DDH 981), and Ulsan-class frigate ROKS Cheongju, during Maritime Counter Special Operations Exercise (MCSOFEX) in the Yellow Sea, April 27. John Finn is assigned to Commander, Task Force 71/Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 15, the Navy’s largest forward-deployed DESRON and U.S. 7th Fleet’s principal surface force. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Samantha Oblander) - 230427-N-CD453-1098 YELLOW SEA (April 27, 2023) U.S. Army AH-64D/E Apache helicopters attached to the 5th Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Combat Aviation Brigade, fly alongside Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS John Finn (DDG 113) as the ship sails in formation with Republic of Korea Navy ships Sejong the Great-class guided-missile destroyer ROKS Sejong the Great (DDG 991), Daegu-class frigate ROKS Seoul (FFG-821), Gwangaetto the Great-class multipurpose destroyer ROKS Eulji Mundeok (DDH-972), Chungmugong Yi Sun-sin-class multipurpose destroyer ROKS Choe Yeong (DDH 981), and Ulsan-class frigate ROKS Cheongju, during Maritime Counter Special Operations Exercise (MCSOFEX) in the Yellow Sea, April 27. John Finn is assigned to Commander, Task Force 71/Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 15, the Navy’s largest forward-deployed DESRON and U.S. 7th Fleet’s principal surface force. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Samantha Oblander)

U.S. Marines with 1st Marine Division locate their target points during exercise Garnet Rattler on Saylor Creek Range in Grasmere, Idaho, April 18, 2023. Garnet Rattler is a joint exercise between Marines and airmen to train Joint Terminal Attack Controllers to be more efficient and lethal in a realistic training environment. - U.S. Marines with 1st Marine Division locate their target points during exercise Garnet Rattler on Saylor Creek Range in Grasmere, Idaho, April 18, 2023. Garnet Rattler is a joint exercise between Marines and airmen to train Joint Terminal Attack Controllers to be more efficient and lethal in a realistic training environment.

A U.S. Marine Corps M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System assigned to Kilo Battery, 2nd Battalion, 14th Marine Regiment, Marine Forces Reserve, fires a rocket while conducting a HIMARS rapid insertion training event during Weapons and Tactics Instructor course 2-22, Dugway Proving Ground, Utah, April 6, 2022. Kilo Battery conducted their annual training with WTI 2-22, enabling their Marines, and the aircrew training with WTI, to conduct a complex training evolution and certify that they are fully mission capable. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Brendan Mullin) - A U.S. Marine Corps M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System assigned to Kilo Battery, 2nd Battalion, 14th Marine Regiment, Marine Forces Reserve, fires a rocket while conducting a HIMARS rapid insertion training event during Weapons and Tactics Instructor course 2-22, Dugway Proving Ground, Utah, April 6, 2022. Kilo Battery conducted their annual training with WTI 2-22, enabling their Marines, and the aircrew training with WTI, to conduct a complex training evolution and certify that they are fully mission capable. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Brendan Mullin)

U.S. Marines, with Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 16, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, signals to a MV-22B Osprey with Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 268, 1st MAW, aboard the SS Curtis (T-AVB-4) during Balikatan 23 off the coast of the Philippines, April 18, 2023. Balikatan 23 is the 38th iteration of the annual bilateral exercise between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the U.S. military. The exercise includes three weeks of training focused on amphibious operations, command and control, humanitarian assistance, urban operations and counterterrorism skills throughout northern and western Luzon. Coastal defense training figures prominently in the Balikatan 23 training schedule. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Kyle Chan) - U.S. Marines, with Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 16, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, signals to a MV-22B Osprey with Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 268, 1st MAW, aboard the SS Curtis (T-AVB-4) during Balikatan 23 off the coast of the Philippines, April 18, 2023. Balikatan 23 is the 38th iteration of the annual bilateral exercise between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the U.S. military. The exercise includes three weeks of training focused on amphibious operations, command and control, humanitarian assistance, urban operations and counterterrorism skills throughout northern and western Luzon. Coastal defense training figures prominently in the Balikatan 23 training schedule. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Kyle Chan)