221001-N-HP061-0053

Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Higgins (DDG 76), center, cruises in formation with Izumo-class multi-purpose destroyer JS Izumo (DDH 183) left, and a Japanese submarine while conducting routine operations in the South China Sea, Oct. 1. Higgins is participating in multi-lateral exercises in the South China Sea in support of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force’s Indo-Pacific deployment, along with the Royal Canadian Navy. Routine multi-lateral exercises like this strengthen interoperability and our mutual commitment to maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Donavan K. Patubo)