CSIS notes collateral benefits of destroyer deployments to US southern borders

Shown here operating in the Pacific Ocean, USS Spruance was recently deployed to the US southern maritime border. (US Navy)

US and partner military forces stand to benefit from the recent deployment of guided-missile destroyers to the US southern border, according to a recent online analysis by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) think tank.

The 3 April analysis written by Henry Ziemer, an associate fellow with the CSIS Americas Program, also underscored the growing importance of the US Coast Guard (USCG) in such US operations.

In March, the US Navy (USN) deployed Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers USS Gravely (DDG 107) and USS Spruance (DDG 111) to waters on the border, “bringing an unprecedented concentration of naval assets to bear for border security missions”, Ziemer said.

“ Spruance and Gravely bring important capabilities to bear along the border and in NORTHCOM's [Northern Command's] area of responsibility more broadly,” Ziemer wrote.

“Both destroyers are accompanied by a US Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment (LEDET), teams specialised in maritime boarding and policing operations,” he said, noting, “The coastguard appears set to play an expanded role in US force posture within the region.”

For more information on the deployment of USCG forces for border operations, please see New Fast Response Cutter arrives in Alaska as US Coast Guard bolsters regional forces .

The DDG class of ships deployed “boasts powerful sensors and electronics that can be assets for detecting small boats and semisubmersibles used for illicit activities,” he wrote, adding, “The destroyers can also serve as a hub for co-ordination between other sea, air, and land assets to act as a force multiplier.”

Operational opportunities