150518-N-XN177-107 YOKOSUKA, Japan – Rear Adm. John Alexander, commander of Battle Force 7th Fleet salutes Capt. Timothy Kuehhas, commanding officer of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George Washington prior to ship departing on its 2015 patrol. George Washington departed Japan after seven years of service as the U.S. Navy's forward-deployed aircraft carrier. 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.