Lt. Cmdr Kevin Kreutz, center, and Lt. Christopher Prue, shooters aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George Washington, give the signal to launch an F/A-18E Super Hornet from the "Eagles" of Strike Fighter Squadron 115 from the ship's flight deck. George Washington and its embarked air wing, Carrier Air Wing 5, provide a combat-ready force that protects and defends the collective maritime interests of the U.S. and its allies and partners in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region.