USS Spruance Joins USS Gravely in Unprecedented Naval Border Security Deployment
The destroyers are tasked with combating smuggling, illegal immigration, and transnational crime under President Trump's executive orders.
- The USS Spruance departed Naval Base San Diego on March 22, 2025, to patrol the West Coast as part of a maritime border security initiative.
- It joins the USS Gravely, which has been operating in the Gulf of Mexico since March 15, 2025, marking an expanded geographic scope for the mission.
- Both destroyers are equipped with U.S. Coast Guard law enforcement teams to conduct interdiction missions targeting smuggling and illegal maritime activities.
- This deployment reflects a shift in U.S. border security strategy, addressing the increasing use of maritime routes by criminal organizations.
- The operation builds on prior successes, with the U.S. Coast Guard having interdicted over 80,000 pounds of illegal drugs since 2017.