The USS Gravely, a Navy guided-missile destroyer designed to intercept ballistic missiles, has been deployed to the U.S.-Mexico border as part of President Donald Trump’s crackdown on immigration and smuggling, defense officials said over the weekend.
According to defense officials, the warship departed the Naval Weapons Station Yorktown in Virginia on Saturday for its new mission under the U.S. Northern Command.
Defense officials did not specify Gravely’s exact destination but confirmed it will operate in both domestic and international waters. According to the U.S. Northern Command’s website, its area of responsibility encompasses “the continental United States, Alaska, Canada, Mexico, and the surrounding waters up to approximately 500 nautical miles.”
The current deployment is unusual for the 509-foot warship. Equipped with Tomahawk cruise missiles, USS Gravely returned to the U.S. in July after a nine-month deployment in the Red Sea defending against Houthi attacks.
According to defense officials, a Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment (LEDET), a specialized maritime policing team, will be stationed aboard the ship. LEDETs conduct a range of maritime missions, including counter-piracy, military combat operations, migrant interdiction, force protection, counterterrorism, homeland security, and humanitarian response.
“Gravely’s sea-going capacity enhances our ability to safeguard the United States’ territorial integrity, sovereignty, and security,” Northern Command leader Gen. Gregory Guillot said in a statement.
“Gravely strengthens our maritime presence and shows the Navy’s commitment to national security,” Adm. Daryl Caudle, head of U.S. Naval Forces Northern Command also said.
The deployment of the USS Gravely is the latest action under Trump’s January executive order declaring a national emergency at the U.S. southern border. Thousands of active-duty troops are already stationed at the border in response to the order.
