150216-N-EH855-417 YOKOSUKA, Japan (Feb. 16, 2015) Aviation Boatswain's Mate (Handling) Airman Nathan Kidd, from Thousand Oaks, Calif., uses a grinder to perform preservation maintenance on the flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73). George Washington and its embarked air wing, Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 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.