USS Gravely deployed to Gulf for border security

The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) Northern Command has deployed the destroyer USS Gravely to assist with border security operations in the Gulf of America, also known as the Gulf of Mexico, the DOD announced on Monday.

The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer departed from Naval Weapons Station Yorktown, Virginia, on Saturday, for a scheduled deployment, the DOD confirmed in a statement.

“It’s not only vital for the United States to have control of our border via land. It’s equally important to control our territorial waters, and this deployment directly supports U.S. Northern Command’s mission to protect our sovereignty,” Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell said.

Once in the area of operations, USS Gravely will focus on drug interdiction missions, according to Air Force Lt. Gen. Alexus Grynkewich. The vessel will work closely with the U.S. Coast Guard, hosting a Coast Guard law enforcement detachment (LEDET) while conducting operations.

“[USS Gravely] will go down [to] the Gulf of America and surrounding areas and be involved in the interdiction mission for many of the drugs … that are coming in,” Grynkewich said.

Additionally, Northcom has activated Joint Task Force-Southern Border (JTF-SB), which will oversee military activities related to border enforcement. The new task force assumed control from Joint Task Force-North and will coordinate operations to strengthen border security.

“The transfer of authority … aligns efforts to seal the southern border and repel illegal activity under a single joint task force responsible for full-scale, agile, and all-domain operations,” the release stated.

Northcom’s commander, Gen. Gregory M. Guillot, described the move as “an important step in the whole-of-government efforts to seal the southern border and maintain U.S. sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

Despite reporting a 93% decrease in illegal border crossings, the Pentagon stated that border security operations will continue until full operational control is achieved.