U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter arrives aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge in the Arabian Gulf, Dec. 19, 2015. Carter has been on a weeklong middle east trip. The Kearsarge is the flagship for the Kearsarge Amphibious Ready Group and, with the embarked 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit, is deployed in support of maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Tyler Preston