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Boatswain’s Mate 2nd Class Ruben Zavala, assigned to the America-class amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli (LHA 7) signals to the Kaiser-class underway replenishment oiler USNS Tippecanoe (T-AO 199) during a replenishment-at-sea in the South China Sea, Dec. 6, 2025. Tripoli, the flagship of the Tripoli Expeditionary Strike Group, is conducting routine operations in the South China Sea. U.S. 7th Fleet is the U.S. Navy’s largest forward-deployed numbered fleet and routinely interacts and operates with allies and partners in preserving a free and open Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Angel Conde)