Rear Adm. Frank Ponds, commander, Expeditionary Strike

Rear Adm. Frank Ponds, commander, Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG) 3, greets Uruguay navy Adm. Daniel Núñez during a bilateral engagement with distinguished visitors from Uruguay. America is currently traveling through the U.S. Southern Command and U.S. 4th Fleet area of responsibility on its maiden transit, “America visits the Americas.” America is the first ship of its class, replacing the Tarawa-class of amphibious assault ships. As the next generation “big-deck” amphibious assault ship, America is optimized for aviation, capable of supporting current and future aircraft such as the MV-22 Osprey and F-35B Joint Strike Fighter. The ship is scheduled to be ceremoniously commissioned Oct. 11 in San Francisco. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Ryan Riley/Released)