USS Miguel Keith conducts night flight ops with VMM-363 in South China Sea

U.S. Navy Chief Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Handling) Vincent Cortez prepares to launch an MV-22B Osprey, assigned to Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 363, Marine Rotational Force – Darwin (MRF-D) 25.3, aboard expeditionary sea base USS Miguel Keith (ESB 5) in the Philippine Sea, Sept. 3, 2025. For the first time in the rotation’s history, the MRF-D Marine Air-Ground Task Force's Aviation and Ground Combat Elements embarked aboard a U.S. Navy vessel to extend operational reach and provide flexible, combat-credible options across the Indo-Pacific. MRF-D is an annual six-month rotational deployment to enhance interoperability with the Australian Defence Force and allies and partners and provide a forward postured crisis response force in the Indo-Pacific. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Angelina Sara)