US deploys destroyer USS Gravely to reinforce southern border
The ship will be under the supervision of a new JTF-SB task force, which will oversee the various military forces sent south.
The destroyer USS Gravely (DDG 107).
The destroyer USS Gravely (DDDG 107) set sail Saturday from Naval Station Yorktown, Va., with a new mission: to "restore territorial integrity at the U.S. southern border," the Navy said in a statement.
Seen as a maritime reinforcement, the ship will collaborate with other agencies. That is why it will carry on board, in addition to its crew, a detachment of the Coast Guard, which have among their main goals the interception of illegal immigrants.
Adm. Daryl Caudle, commander of Naval Forces Northern Command, in charge of the deployment, described the Gravely as "a vital enhancement to our nation’s border security framework." U.S. Northern Command is tasked with surveillance of the U.S. mainland, including Alaska, and surrounding waters up to about 500 nautical miles away, among other areas.
The announcement comes a day after Northern Command formed a new task force at Fort Huachuca in Arizona to coordinate Defense Department efforts to "secure and seal the southern border." Called JTF-SB (Joint Task Force - South Border), it will oversee the various forces sent south, including the more than 9,600 military and thousands of National Guard troops.
Those measures are part of the firm border measures promised by Donald Trump, which have been accompanied by publicized deportation campaigns within the country, led by the Department of Homeland Security, in addition to the recent evocation of the Alien Enemies Act, which is being challenged in court.
The USS Gravely (DDG 107)
It has a crew of around 300. It exceeds 9,500 tons and can reach speeds in excess of 30 knots.
First launched in 2009, it gained prominence last year for its role in stopping the Houthi attacks on ships sailing in the Red Sea.
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