231119-N-RQ159-1668

YOKOSUKA, Japan (Nov. 19, 2023) Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Aircraft Handling) Airman Patrick Tizano, left, from Miami, and Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Aircraft Handling) Jenri Gonzalez, from Hollywood, California, salute the ensign on the flight deck as the U.S. Navy’s only forward-deployed aircraft carrier, USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76), returns to Commander, Fleet Activities Yokosuka, Japan, following a six-month deployment in the Indo-Pacific region, Nov. 19. During Ronald Reagan’s deployment, the ship conducted multinational exercises with the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF), Royal Australian Navy, Indonesian Navy, and Republic of Korea Navy, a multi-large deck event with USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70), Carrier Strike Group 1, and JMSDF first-in-class helicopter destroyer, JS Hyuga (DDH 181), and visited Vietnam, Republic of Korea, and the Philippines. Ronald Reagan, the flagship of Carrier Strike Group 5, provides a combat-ready force that protects and defends the United States, and supports alliances, partnerships and collective maritime interests in the Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Heather McGee)