SOUTH CHINA SEA (July 26, 2016) The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Stethem (DDG 63) conducts a firing exercise of the MK 45/5-inch lightweight gun at a surface target during Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) Singapore 2016, July 26. CARAT is a series of annual maritime exercises between the U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps and the armed forces of nine partner nations to include Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Timor-Leste. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class John Pearl