GULF OF ADEN - U.S. Marine Cpl. Jeffrey Rister, an

GULF OF ADEN - U.S. Marine Cpl. Jeffrey Rister, an infantry fire team leader, diverts a strike from Cpl. Marquise Garcia, an infantry Marine, both with Kilo Company, Battalion Landing Team 3/1, 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), during a pugil sticks event for Martial Arts Instructor Course aboard the Whidbey Island-class dock landing ship USS Rushmore (LSD 47), Oct. 4, 2018. The Essex Amphibious Ready Group and 13th MEU are deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations in support of naval operations to ensure maritime stability and security in the Central Region, connecting the Mediterranean and the Pacific through the western Indian Ocean and three strategic choke points. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Danny Gonzalez/Released)