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The USS Stockdale will deploy to the southern border between the U.S. and Mexico to support border security objectives, replacing the USS Spruance after only a few weeks.
Newsweek reached out to the U.S. Navy by email for comment on Saturday afternoon.
Why It Matters
President Donald Trump has made security along the southern border a priority for his second administration, forming a two-pronged approach to national security alongside his mass deportations. Trump issued an executive order and national security declaration to focus on the southern border defense.
However, the deployment of guided-missile destroyers to assist in these efforts mark an unprecedented concentration of naval assets for border security operations.
The U.S. Coast Guard has recently announced the interception of some $141 million in illicit drugs smuggled by sea as maritime routes prove increasingly attractive alternatives for smuggling. The maritime law enforcement agency also arrested 17 suspected traffickers as part of these operations.
AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo
What To Know
The Navy had deployed the Spruance in mid-March to assist the USS Gravely, each carrying Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment (LEDET) teams to assist with missions. However, it returned to Naval Base San Diego on April 10.
Now, the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer Stockdale has departed from Naval Base San Diego and will take over from the Spruance. This follows a seven-month independent deployment to the U.S. 3rd, 5th and 7th Fleet areas of operations.
In a press release, the Navy touted the Stockdale’s role in helping repel multiple Houthi attacks during transits of the Bab el-Mandeb straight and escort operations of U.S.-flagged vessels in the Gulf of Aden. This included shooting down uncrewed aerial-ship cruise missiles, during which the Stockdale emerged unscathed.
Previous Navy-Coast Guard collaborations have yielded significant results, with joint operations preventing nearly 15 tons of cocaine from entering the U.S. last year alone. Criminal organizations increasingly use sophisticated vessels, including remote-operated submersibles, to smuggle drugs into the country.
U.S. Fleet Forces command (USFFC) reported that the Stockdale will “respond to national priorities and a Presidential declaration emphasizing the military’s role in securing U.S. borders.”
The U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) said this deployment continues the force’s commitment to “support critical Department of Homeland Security capabilities gaps,” to which the Stockdale would prove a “vital” contribution.
What People Are Saying
President Donald Trump in a memo issued on Friday wrote: “Our southern border is under attack from a variety of threats. The complexity of the current situation requires that our military take a more direct role in securing our southern border than in the recent past.”
Pentagon Chief Spokesman Sean Parnell last month said: “It’s not only vital for the United States to have control of our border via land. It’s equally important to control our territorial waters, and this deployment directly supports U.S. Northern Command’s mission to protect our sovereignty.”
What Happens Next
It remains unclear how long the Stockdale will maintain its mission, especially given the short tenure of the Spruance.
