The Arleigh Burke destroyers play a critical role in the Navy’s operations.
The White House has labeled Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro a “narco-terrorist” and is following up with action. Maduro notably remains a fugitive from a 2020 US indictment on drug trafficking and narco-terrorism charges. Recently, the US military has dispatched several assets toward Venezuelan waters amidst the Trump administration’s anti-drug cartel endeavor. According to reports, at least three Aegis guided-missile destroyers were deployed as part of the mission. A submarine and other warships were also apparently headed toward the South American country. In response to this build-up in American assets near its borders, Maduro said, “The empire has gone mad and has renewed its threats to Venezuela’s peace and tranquility.”
Which Destroyers Are En Route?
As detailed by The Associated Press, an anonymous official has confirmed that the USS Gravely, the USS Jason Dunham, and the USS Sampson have headed down south as part of the mission to combat threats from Latin American drug cartels. On the first day of Donald Trump’s tenure in office, the president issued an executive order outlining his intent to designate cartels and linked organizations as foreign terrorist organizations. “The Cartels’ activities threaten the safety of the American people, the security of the United States, and the stability of the international order in the Western Hemisphere. Their activities, proximity to, and incursions into the physical territory of the United States pose an unacceptable national security risk to the United States,” the order details.
The Arleigh Burke Destroyers
The USS Gravely, USS Sampson, and USS Jason Dunham are all Arleigh Burke-class (Flight IIA) Aegis guided missile destroyers. Named to honor World War II American destroyer officer Admiral Arleigh Burke, these warships are multimission destroyers capable of carrying out a range of mission sets. From anti-aircraft warfare and anti-submarine warfare to anti-surface warfare, the Arleigh Burke destroyers play a critical role in the US Navy’s sea-based strategy. Perhaps the crux of the class of warships is the Aegis Combat System, which enables the Arleigh Burke destroyers to launch, track, and evade missiles simultaneously.
All three destroyers dispatched to South America are of the Flight IIA iteration. These warships were authorized in 1994 and feature several enhancements that make them more capable than earlier variants. Specifically, the redesign incorporated on the Flight IIA destroyers allows for littoral (coastal) warfare. According to Destroyer History, the premiere Flight IIA Oscar Austin featured an enlarged flight deck and system enhancements made to its organic mine hunting and area theater ballistic missile defense.
USS Gravely recently earned headlines following her role in a major drug bust carried out by the Navy and the Coast Guard in the Caribbean Sea. As part of this operation, Gravely played an instrumental role in helping the service seize nearly $14 million in cocaine. In a statement issued by the US Navy’s 2nd Fleet, “The team discovered and seized 19 bales of cocaine, with an approximate weight of 860 pounds and an estimated value of $13,650,000. U.S. Navy forces are deployed under U.S. Northern Command’s maritime homeland defense authorities with a LEDET embarked to enable maritime interdiction missions to prevent the flow of illegal drugs and other illegal activity.”
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, The Jerusalem Post, and The Times of Israel. You can follow her on Twitter: @MayaCarlin.
Image: DVIDS.
