The Navy has deployed the USS Spruance, an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, to the southern border to support ongoing efforts to curb illegal immigration and drug smuggling. The goal of the mission is to restore territorial integrity at the U.S. southern border. The mission is part of a coordinated effort to combat maritime-related terrorism, weapons proliferation, transnational crime, piracy, environmental destruction, and illegal seaborne immigration. The deployment of the USS Spruance is in line with President Donald Trump’s executive orders regarding border security.
Gen. Gregory Guillot, USNORTHCOM commander, stated that the deployment of the USS Spruance enhances maritime efforts and supports interagency collaboration. With the addition of the USS Gravely in the Gulf of America, the Navy’s maritime presence contributes to a coordinated Department of Defense response to achieve operational control of the border. The use of warships for border enforcement has been deemed a ‘smart’ use of military force by experts. Coast Guard officials reported an increase in migrant boat encounters near the San Diego coast in the last 90 days, prompting the allocation of additional resources.
The USS Spruance will bring maritime capabilities to the U.S. Northern Command in response to President Trump’s executive orders and national emergency declaration regarding border security. The combatant command is continuing to fill critical capabilities gaps in support of the Department of Homeland Security and Customs and Border Protection. The destroyer will be accompanied by a U.S. Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment (LEDET), created in 1982, to assist in various maritime interdiction missions, including counter-piracy, alien migration interdiction, military force protection, counter-terrorism, and humanitarian response.
The USS Spruance recently returned to Naval Base San Diego after a five-month deployment to the U.S. 5th and 7th Fleet areas of operation as part of the Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group. The strike group was deployed to the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility to bolster U.S. military force posture in the Middle East, deter regional escalation, and promote security, stability, and prosperity alongside allies and partners. Assigned destroyers of the Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group, including the USS Spruance, played a crucial role in providing a layer of defense to U.S. forces and ensuring the safe passage of commercial vessels and partner nations in international waterways in the Middle East.
The deployment of the USS Spruance is part of a broader effort to enhance border security and protect the territorial integrity of the United States. The ongoing mission aims to combat various threats such as maritime-related terrorism, transnational crime, and illegal immigration. Cooperation between the Navy, Coast Guard, Department of Homeland Security, and Customs and Border Protection is crucial in achieving operational control of the border. The use of military assets like warships is seen as a strategic approach to border enforcement and has been praised by experts for its effectiveness in addressing security challenges.
