PHILIPPINE SEA (July 25, 2012) -Sailors scrub the flight deck aboard the U.S. Navy's forward-deployed aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) during a scrub exercise (SCRUBEX). Aqueous film forming foam (AFFF), a soap-like compound used to fight petroleum fires, is used during SCRUBEXs to clean the flight deck. The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier departed Fleet Activities Yokosuka on May 26 to begin its 2012 patrol. George Washington and its embarked air wing, Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 5, provide a combat-ready force that protects and defends the collective maritime interest of the U.S. and its allies and partners in the Asia-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Apprentice Brian H. Abel/RELEASED)
