Joint Service Naval Operation Prevents Weapons Smuggling In The Indian Ocean

Credit: Petty Officer 3rd Class Louis Staats | Date Taken: 02/12/2021
210215-N-PS962-1222 INDIAN OCEAN (Feb. 12, 2021) The guided-missile destroyer USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG 81), in accordance with international law, boarded a stateless dhow off of Somalia and interdicted an illicit shipment of weapons and weapon components, Feb. 12. Maritime security operations, as conducted by the U.S. 5th Fleet, entail routine patrols to determine pattern of life in the maritime environment as well as to enhance mariner-to-mariner relations. These operations reassure allies and partners and preserve freedom of navigation and free flow of commerce. (U.S. Navy video by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Louis Thompson Staats IV)