260808-N-UM953-1046

Aviation Machinist’s Mate 2nd Class Marquis Tart, from Georgia, assigned to Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 141, applies pyro lubricant to an EA-18G Growler on the flight deck of Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) while underway in the South China Sea, Aug. 8, 2026. George Washington, operating in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations, is the U.S. Navy’s premier forward-deployed aircraft carrier, a long-standing symbol of the United States’ commitment to maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific, while operating alongside allies and partners across the U.S. Navy’s largest numbered fleet. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Tyler Crowley)