Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin E. Dempsey salutes as he passes through the side boys on the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) while the ship operates in the Persian Gulf on Dec. 13, 2012. Athletes and entertainers accompanied Dempsey on the visit to the ship as part of his annual USO holiday tour. The Stennis is deployed to the 5th Fleet area of responsibility to conduct maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts.