U.S. Coast Guardsmen, assigned to the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Waesche (WMSL-751), retrieve a litter onto a U.S. Coast Guard MH-65E helicopter from the flight deck of the Philippine Coast Guard Vessel Melchora Aquino (MRRV-9702) during a bilateral U.S.-Philippine search and rescue exercise in the South China Sea, July 16, 2024. The bilateral exercise was an opportunity to strengthen relations by working together and exchanging operating procedures and practices. Waesche is the second U.S. Coast Guard National Security Cutter deployed to the Indo-Pacific in 2024. Coast Guard cutters routinely deploy to the region to engage with partner nations to ensure a free and open Indo-Pacific. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Elijah Murphy)