USS Portland conducts small boat ops in South China Sea

A U.S. Navy Sailor, assigned to San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship USS Portland (LPD 27), observes a rigid-hull inflatable boat lowered into the water during small boat operations in the South China Sea, June 8, 2026. The 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, embarked aboard the Boxer Amphibious Ready Group, is a persistent, combat credible force contributing to deterrence and crisis response in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations. U.S. 7th Fleet, the U.S. Navy’s largest forward-deployed numbered fleet, routinely interacts and operates with allies and partners to preserve a free and open Indo-Pacific. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Staff Sgt. Dylan Chagnon)