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The Pentagon has confirmed the deployment of a US warship to waters near the southern border to assist in maritime interdiction efforts as part of a presidential directive to strengthen border security.
Some shit you should know before you read: Shortly after taking office, President Trump signed an executive order designating various drug cartels as terrorist organizations, a move aimed at expanding the US government’s ability to combat transnational crime. Following this, the State Department officially labeled multiple cartels and criminal syndicates as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs), placing them in the same category as groups like Al-Qaeda and ISIS. This designation unlocked a range of powerful tools for the US government, including economic sanctions from the Treasury Department, enhanced intelligence-gathering capabilities, and the potential for military action, both direct and covert. Additionally, Trump issued a presidential directive prioritizing the use of military and intelligence resources to combat cartel-related threats, reinforcing border security measures and empowering federal agencies to take aggressive action against cross-border smuggling, trafficking networks, and cartel financing structures.
What’s going on now: In an announcement, the US Navy confirmed the deployment of the USS Gravely (DDG-107), an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, to waters near the southern border as part of a Presidential Executive Order directing enhanced border security operations. The warship, designed for high-end naval warfare, is equipped with Tomahawk cruise missiles, advanced radar systems, and anti-submarine capabilities, making its deployment for maritime interdiction efforts unusual. Alongside the Navy crew, a US Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment (LEDET) will be aboard to conduct maritime policing, drug interdictions, and counter-human trafficking operations, working in collaboration with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
The USS Gravely will primarily operate in US and international waters, supporting the Coast Guard and interagency partners in enforcing maritime law and disrupting criminal networks that exploit sea routes for illegal immigration, drug smuggling, and weapons trafficking.
Adm. Daryl Caudle, commander of US Fleet Forces Command, said, “It is a bit unique to deploy a capability of this level for this mission set, but I think it goes to the commitment that the Navy has to the President and Secretary of Defense to support the southern border operations.” He further explained that this deployment would help assess the effectiveness of using high-capability naval assets for border security, saying, “This is putting our toe in the water a bit to understand it, to make sure that we know how to employ this force.”
