PHILIPPINE SEA (Sept. 24, 2017) Cmdr. Alex Hampton, from Chicago, the new commanding officer of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 27, performs a high-speed fly-by in an F/A-18E Super Hornet, assigned to VFA-27 after an aerial change-of-command over the flight deck of the Navy's forward-deployed aircraft carrier, USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76). Ronald Reagan is conducting bilateral training exercises in the Philippine Sea with the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) destroyer JS Akebono (DD 108). Ronald Reagan, the flagship of Carrier Strike Group 5, provides a combat-ready force that protects and defends the collective maritime interests of its allies and partners in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Kenneth Abbate)