The U.S. Navy expands its maritime presence along the southern border with a new warship deployment from San Diego.
According to Fox News, the USS Spruance, an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, departed Naval Base San Diego on Saturday to support border operations aimed at curbing illegal immigration and drug smuggling.
The deployment follows President Donald Trump's executive orders and national emergency declaration to strengthen border security. The warship joins existing naval forces, including the USS Gravely in the Gulf of America, as part of a coordinated effort between the Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security to enhance maritime border control.
Enhanced military capabilities strengthen border operations
The USS Spruance brings significant maritime capabilities to the U.S. Northern Command's border mission. The destroyer will work alongside embedded U.S. Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment teams, established in 1982, to conduct various maritime interdiction operations.
Gen. Gregory Guillot, USNORTHCOM commander, emphasized the strategic importance of the deployment. He stated:
USS Spruance's deployment as part of U.S. Northern Command's southern border mission brings additional capability and expands the geography of unique military capabilities working with the Department of Homeland Security.
The deployment addresses recent concerns raised by Coast Guard officials, who reported hundreds of migrant boat encounters near the San Diego coast in the past 90 days. This surge in maritime activity has prompted authorities to allocate additional resources to the region.
Previous combat experience enhances mission readiness
The USS Spruance returns to active duty after completing a five-month deployment with the Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group in December 2024. During this deployment, the destroyer operated in the U.S. 5th and 7th Fleet areas, participating in critical operations in the Middle East.
The warship played a vital role in protecting U.S. forces and ensuring safe passage for commercial vessels through strategic waterways. These included the Red Sea, Bab el-Mandeb Strait, and the Gulf of Aden, where the ship helped degrade Houthi capabilities and promote regional stability.
The Navy emphasizes that the destroyer's combat experience and operational capabilities will strengthen the military's response to various maritime threats. These include terrorism, weapons proliferation, transnational crime, piracy, environmental destruction, and illegal seaborne immigration.
Strategic coordination targets multiple threats
The deployment represents a significant expansion of military involvement in border security operations. The Navy's presence will enhance interagency collaboration between various law enforcement and security organizations.
Coast Guard LEDET teams aboard the USS Spruance will conduct specialized operations targeting multiple maritime threats. Their expertise in counter-piracy, alien migration interdiction, and counter-terrorism operations provides valuable support to existing border security efforts.
The coordinated response demonstrates the administration's commitment to achieving operational control of the border through multi-agency cooperation and advanced military capabilities.
Mission charts new course for border security
The USS Spruance, an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, departed Naval Base San Diego on Saturday as part of the U.S. Navy's expanded maritime presence along the southern border. The deployment responds to executive orders and a national emergency declaration aimed at strengthening border security measures.
The warship brings significant combat experience from its recent Middle East operations and will work alongside Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment teams to combat illegal immigration, drug smuggling, and other maritime threats. The mission represents a coordinated effort between the Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security to enhance border control through advanced military capabilities and interagency cooperation.
