PHILIPPINE SEA (July 29, 2021) Master Chief Rafael Escoto from Sebaco, Nicaragua is pinned to his current rank by Master Chief Gas Turbine Systems Technician Raymond Quezada from El Paso, aboard the Independence-variant littoral combat ship USS Tulsa (LCS 16)
Tulsa, part of Destroyer Squadron Seven, is on a rotational deployment operating in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operation to enhance interoperability with partners and serve as a ready-response force in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific region.
With more than 90 percent of all trade traveling by sea, and 95 percent of the world’s international phone and internet traffic carried through fiber optic cables lying on the ocean floor, Navy officials continue to emphasize that the prosperity and security of the United States is directly linked to a strong and ready Navy.
