220804-O-NR876-042

Sailors from the amphibious transport dock USS Green Bay (LPD 20) and Bung Tomo-class corvette KRI Bung Tomo (357) pose for a photo during a visit, board, search, and seizure (VBSS) exercise aboard the Independence-variant littoral combat ship USS Charleston (LCS 18) as a part of Super Garuda Shield in the Natuna Sea Aug. 4, 2022. Green Bay, part of Amphibious Squadron 11, is operating in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of responsibility to enhance interoperability with allies and partners and serve as a ready response force to defend peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. Charleston, part of Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 7, is on a rotational deployment, operating in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations to enhance interoperability with partners and serve as a ready-response force in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific region. Garuda Shield is an annual combined and joint exercise between the Indonesian National Armed Forces and U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) designed to strengthen bilateral interoperability, capabilities, trust, and cooperation built over decades of shared experiences.