250905-N-HT008-1020

PHILIPPINE SEA (Sept. 5, 2025) Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) sailors stand watch in the pilot house of the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Higgins (DDG 76) while conducting bilateral operations alongside the JMSDF in the Philippine Sea, Sept. 5. Higgins is forward-deployed and assigned to Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 15, the Navy’s largest DESRON and the U.S. 7th Fleet’s principal surface force. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Trevor Hale)