The Forrest Sherman, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, is expected to elevate the Navy’s prowess in countering the Houthis.
As part of the White House’s efforts to combat the ongoing turbulence in the Red Sea, another warship is headed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations. USS Forrest Sherman (DDG 98) departed Norfolk, Virginia, earlier this week to commence its regularly scheduled deployment as part of the Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group (CSG-12). The addition of the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer is expected to elevate the Navy’s prowess in defending against Houthi-launched barrages. As stated by Rear Adm. Paul Lanzilotta, commander of CSG-12, “The Sailors of USS Forrest Sherman are headed to do our nation’s work at sea. The combat capabilities that this ship brings to a fight will be ready whenever tasked to deter, and if necessary, defeat, aggression in defense of America’s interests around the world.”
One day prior to Forrest Sherman’s departure from Norfolk, President Donald Trump announced that the Navy would cease strikes targeting the Iranian-backed designated terror group since the Houthis had reportedly “capitulated.” Oman later revealed that it had mediated a ceasefire between the United States and the Houthis.
Since a temporary cessation in January between Israel and Hamas ended earlier this year, the Iranian-backed proxy group has launched continuous missile, drone, and rocket attacks targeting U.S., Israeli, and international ships out at sea. USS Harry S Truman, the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier that has deployed to the region since last fall, has carried out a lot of the brunt work in thwarting these attacks. Additionally, Navy destroyers have shot down loads of incoming Houthi projectiles. In December, the Navy said that USS Stockade and USS O’Kane intercepted a “range” of Houthi-launched weapons in the Gulf. Considering the specs and capabilities of these Arleigh Burke-class warships, the presence of USS Forrest Sherman in the Red Sea will only contribute to the Navy’s defensive operations.
An Overview of the Arleigh Burke destroyers
Serving the Navy as multi-mission anti-air warfare, anti-submarine warfare, and anti-surface warfare combatants, the Arleigh Burke-class destroyers play important roles in the carrier strike groups they accompany. Similar to the older Ticonderoga-class cruisers, the Arleigh Burke ships were designed with the Aegis Weapon System (AWS) in mind. Like some of the Navy’s newer surface combatants, DDG 51 uses gas turbine propulsion. Each Arleigh Burke ship features four General Electric LM 2500 gas turbines to produce 100,000 total shaft horsepower by a dual shaft design.
Introducing USS Forrest Sherman
USS Forrest Sherman was commissioned back in 2016 at Naval Air Station Pensacola before departing for what would become its homeport at Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia, shortly after. As the Navy’s forty-eighth Arleigh Burke destroyer, this warship is equipped with a host of advanced armament. Forrest Sherman sports the MK-41 Vertical Launching System, which is capable of firing a combination of surface-to-air missiles, Tomahawk surface-to-surface missiles, and VLA anti-submarine missiles. With this weapons load, Forrest Sherman will be well-equipped to intercept Houthi barrages in the Red Sea.
About the Author: Maya Carlin
Maya Carlin, National Security Writer with The National Interest, is an analyst with the Center for Security Policy and a former Anna Sobol Levy Fellow at IDC Herzliya in Israel. She has bylines in many publications, including The National Interest, Jerusalem Post, and Times of Israel. You can follow her on Twitter: @MayaCarlin. Carlin has over 1,000 articles published over the last several years on various defense issues.
Image: DVIDS.
