The U.S. Navy has deployed a guided-missile destroyer to assist in efforts to curb illegal immigration and smuggling at the southern border. The Arleigh Burke-class warship USS Gravely, armed with long-range Tomahawk missiles, will help “restore territorial integrity at the U.S. southern border,” according to a statement from Navy officials.
Officials stated that the USS Gravely was deployed as part of President Donald Trump’s executive orders to protect the U.S.-Mexico border. The destroyer will enhance maritime security efforts and support interagency collaboration. However, while the statement mentioned that the deployment would address “critical capabilities gaps in support” of the Department of Homeland Security and Customs and Border Protection, it did not elaborate on what those gaps entail.
The USS Gravely will operate within the Northern Command area of responsibility, covering the Gulf of Mexico, the Straits of Florida, and the Caribbean, including the Bahamas, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The command also extends to the U.S. West Coast, Canada, and Mexico in the Pacific. Previously, the warship spent nine months in the Red Sea, engaging in direct combat with Houthi forces, including intercepting missiles and launching strikes on enemy positions in Yemen.
Now assigned to border security operations, the USS Gravely will work alongside Coast Guard law enforcement interdiction teams, one of which will be stationed aboard the ship. These teams handle a variety of maritime missions, including counter-piracy, combat operations, counter-terrorism, force protection, and humanitarian response.
In December 2024, two U.S. Navy destroyers were attacked by Houthi forces while recording three U.S. ships.
“U.S. Navy destroyers USS Stockdale (DDG 106) and the USS O’Kane (DDG 77) successfully defeated a range of Houthi-launched weapons while transiting the Gulf of Aden, Nov. 30 – Dec. 1. The destroyers were escorting three U.S. owned, operated, flagged merchant vessels and the reckless attacks resulted in no injuries and no damage to any vessels, civilian or U.S. Naval,” U.S. Central Command said in a statement.
“The destroyers successfully engaged and defeated three anti-ship ballistic missiles (ASBMs), three one-way attack uncrewed aerial systems (OWA UAS), and one anti-ship cruise missile (ASCM), ensuring the safety of the ships and their personnel, as well as civilian vessels and their crews.”
