Master-at-Arms Petty Officer 3rd Class Brian A. Cotton, assigned to amphibious assault ship USS Essex, fills in test answers for test cycle 196 during the Navy-wide Advancement Exam aboard a berthing barge. Essex is in a Ship's Restricted Availability in Sasebo, Japan. Essex is the only permanently forward-deployed amphibious assault ship and serves Task Force 76. Task Force 76 is headquartered at White Beach Naval Facility, Okinawa, Japan, with an operating detachment in Sasebo, Japan.