231119-N-IK052-1032

YOKOSUKA, Japan (Nov. 19, 2023) Capt. Justin Issler, executive officer of the U.S. Navy’s only forward-deployed aircraft carrier, USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76), greets a family member on the pier as the ship 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 2nd Class Caroline H. Lui)