YORKTOWN, Va. (WAVY) — The guided missile destroyer USS Gravely (DDG 107) is being deployed to the southern border to counter illegal immigration, drug and weapons trafficking, as well as transnational crime.
“Gravely is just one part of a phase of events that we have been involved in to support southern border operations,” said Admiral Daryl Caudle, commander of the U.S. Fleet Forces.
The Department of Defense described the move as a significant shift, giving the U.S. Navy a direct role in stopping threats before they reach American shores.
Gravely’s most recent deployment was in the Red Sea, facing a different kind of adversary than what they’ll encounter near the southern border. Caudle said their mission and mindset is set with educational training leading up to the deployment.
“They get intelligence briefs, specifically to the area in which they’re operating,” he said. “There’s education before they deploy.”
Working closely with the U.S. Coast Guard, Gravely will conduct operations such as search and seizure while working to deter illegal immigration and drug trafficking.
“These ships are trained in boarding and seizure, search and seizure operations,” Caudle said. “That can be part of this. Just leveraging that exquisite, capability down there gives great maritime domain awareness.”
When asked about the potential for more local sailors to join Gravely in the southern waters, Caudle mentioned sailors working functions on the physical border itself.
“We’re also providing people, along with the Marine Corps, for … border operations as well — Seabees, could be Navy Expeditionary combat folk,” he said.
