Logistics Specialist 1st Class Richard Feliciano, who is assigned to the USS Gravely, embraces his son on Monday, June 9, 2025, at Naval Station Norfolk, Va., following a three-month deployment to U.S. Northern Command’s area of responsibility. (U.S. Navy photo)
The first destroyer that the Navy deployed to the Gulf of America on the southern border mission returned Monday from a three-month stint deterring maritime migration and drug trafficking.
The USS Gravely and its crew of approximately 300 sailors were welcomed home to Naval Station Norfolk, Va., just before midday Monday. The homecoming marked the conclusion of the Gravely’s time supporting U.S. Northern Command’s border mission.
“USS Gravely remains at the forefront of maritime operations, ready to take on any challenge,” said Cmdr. George Piorun, commanding officer of the Gravely. “We will continue to stand strong, protect vital waters, and ensure that justice prevails. True to our motto, we remain always, ‘First to Conquer’.”
The Gravely crew, alongside a Coast Guard law enforcement detachment team, interdicted migrants and drug traffickers trying to enter the U.S. by water since March 15.
The Navy has deployed ships — mostly destroyers — with Coast Guard teams on board on both U.S. coasts near the southern border since March as part of President Donald Trump’s buildup of military and law enforcement forces along the U.S.-Mexico boundary. The Coast Guard team has unique legal authority to conduct U.S. law enforcement operations in support of border security missions under NORTHCOM.
“This operation supports the administration’s focus on integrated homeland defense and maritime border security,” said Capt. Raymond Jackson, commanding officer of Coast Guard Tactical Law Enforcement Team South. “By uniting Coast Guard law enforcement expertise with Navy reach and surveillance, we’re enhancing deterrence, increasing domain awareness and reinforcing our commitment to protecting the homeland.”
On May 25, the Gravely seized an estimated 860 pounds of illegal drugs from a vessel in the Caribbean Sea. The interdiction by the Gravely was conducted by the ship’s search-and-seizure team alongside the Coast Guard law enforcement team assigned to the ship. The search-and-seizure team boarded a suspicious vessel and discovered 19 bales of cocaine, with an estimated value of $13,650,000, the Navy said.
The Gravely’s crew was supported by the “Swamp Foxes” helicopter marine squadron and P-8 reconnaissance aircraft, both based at Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Fla. The aircraft helped the Navy-Coast Guard unit surveil the maritime region from the air.
While the Gravely has returned home, the Navy’s commitment to the border mission continues. The destroyer USS Cole departed Thursday from Naval Station Mayport, Fla., taking over the Gravely’s duties.
The Cole also has a Coast Guard law enforcement team on board that will perform vessel boardings, searches and seizures in U.S. and international waters. The mission will target drug trafficking, illegal immigration and transnational crime that threatens the U.S. southern border, U.S. 2nd Fleet said in a statement. The 2nd Fleet oversees East Coast-based Navy ships and assets.
“With [the Coast Guard law enforcement team’s] tactical expertise guiding interdiction efforts, the Cole will harness its advanced surveillance systems and mobility to locate and intercept suspect vessels, effectively extending Coast Guard authority through naval power to enhance maritime security operations,” 2nd Fleet said.
The destroyer USS Gravely returns to Naval Station Norfolk, Va., on Monday, June 9, 2025, following a three-month deployment to U.S. Northern Command’s area of responsibility in the Gulf of America. (U.S. Navy)
The Navy patrolling warships near the U.S. southern border comes as the Pentagon adds more troops to border operations, where U.S. forces — mostly soldiers and Marines — have provided Customs and Border Protection officials with support. The Defense Department last month approved the deployment of an additional 1,115 active-duty forces to help with reconnaissance, construction, logistics and airlift capabilities at the border.
In all, there are now more than 10,000 military troops — including active-duty soldiers and Marines and National Guard forces — stationed along the border to assist Border Patrol. Those troops include infantry forces with Stryker combat vehicles, troops that fly drones and helicopters, logisticians and engineering forces.
Top Army leaders last week also said the National Guard was preparing to add some 20,000 Guard forces to operations to bolster Department of Homeland Security efforts at the southern border.
