USS Fitzgerald conducts flight ops in Philippine Sea

U.S. Navy Boatswain’s Mate 2nd Class Cheryl Makosso, from Maryland, signals to a U.S. Marine Corps UH-1Y Venom, attached to Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 163 (Reinforced), 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, on the flight deck aboard Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62) in the Philippine Sea, April 24, 2026. Fitzgerald 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 Seaman Angelo Gonzalez)