USS Benfold conducts weapons qualification in South China Sea

U.S. Navy Gunner’s Mate 2nd Class Michael Martin, left, fires a .50-caliber machine gun from the aft missile deck during a crew-served weapons qualification evolution aboard Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Benfold (DDG 65) during routine operations in the South China Sea, Aug. 26, 2026. Benfold is forward deployed and assigned to Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 15, the Navy’s largest DESRON and the 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 Oscar Diaz)