STRAIT OF HORMUZ (July 25, 2018) Executive Officer, Cmdr. Pat Eliason, right, and Ensign Ryan Slaughter stand watch as the guided-missile destroyer USS The Sullivans (DDG 68) conducts a routine transit through the Strait of Hormuz alongside MV Cape Ray (T-AKR 9679). The Sullivans is deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations in support of naval operations to ensure maritime stability and security in the Central region, connecting the Mediterranean and the Pacific through the western Indian Ocean and three strategic choke points. (U.S. Navy photo by Lt. Daphne White/Released)