USS Mustin conducts small boat ops in Indian Ocean

U.S. Navy Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Mustin (DDG 89) Executive Officer Cmdr. Rhett Gilman observes Sailors approaching the ship in a rigid-hull inflatable boat while underway in the Indian Ocean, May 7, 2026. Mustin is forward deployed and assigned to Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 15, the Navy’s largest DESRON and U.S. 7th Fleet’s principal surface force. U.S. 7th Fleet, the Navy’s largest forward-deployed numbered fleet, routinely interacts and operates with allies and partners in preserving a free and open Indo-Pacific. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Timothy Dimal)