The Pentagon has deployed a Navy destroyer to amplify security at the U.S.-Mexico border. The warship previously engaged in combat against Iran-backed Houthi rebels in the Middle East and will charter waters typically patrolled by the U.S. Coast Guard, defense officials said.
The USS Gravely, a guided-missile destroyer, departed Naval Weapons Station Yorktown in Virginia on Saturday. The deployment is the latest move by the Trump administration in a series of executive orders to crack down on immigration.
More on the USS Gravely
The warship was first classified as the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer. It initially deployed on July 4, 1991, as the USS Arleigh Burke (DDG 51). The warship measures over 509 feet in length and is equipped to carry several Tomahawk missiles and other aircraft, according to the official USS Gravely webpage.
The warship will bolster security at the southern border
Gen. Gregory Guillot, a commander who oversees the U.S. Nothern Command, said that deploying the warship would aid in “the nation’s commitment” to bolstering security at the southern border.
“USS Gravely’s deployment will contribute to the U.S. Northern Command southern border mission as part of the DOD’s coordinated effort in response to the Presidential Executive Order. Gravely’s sea-going capacity improves our ability to protect the United States’ territorial integrity, sovereignty, and security,” Guillot stated in a news release shared on the official Navy webpage.
Trump’s plans for the U.S. military and the Panama Canal
President Donald Trump has outlined plans to deploy the U.S. military in regions he deems necessary in his first two months in office. Trump recently shared that he wants to regain control of the Panama Canal, an artificial waterway connecting the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean, Blavity reported.
Pentagon spokesperson John Ullyot said the agency had no disclosures to share about any changes to the U.S. military’s presence in the Panama Canal. However, he did confirm that the Pentagon would back Trump’s “national security priorities,” according to The Washington Post.
In February, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth visited the southern border, confirming the need for increased security and its importance to national security.
“We have defended other places and other spaces,” Hegseth said in February, according to The Washington Post. “We will defend this line.”
