ARABIAN SEA – U.S. Navy Aviation Boatsmate Handler Airmen Bryan Sanchez, assigned with the Essex Amphibious Ready Group (ARG), prepares a U.S. Marine Corps MV-22B Osprey with Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 166 Reinforced, 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), for takeoff while aboard the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Essex (LHD 2), Jan. 5, 2019. The Essex is the flagship for the Essex ARG and, with the embarked 13th MEU, is deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations in support of naval operations to ensure maritime stability in the Central Region, connecting the Mediterranean and the Pacific through the western Indian Ocean and three strategic choke points. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Francisco J. Diaz Jr./Released)