US Navy's destroyer USS Arleigh Burke visits Latvia amid Ukraine war.

According to information published by the U.S. Navy on July 9, 2022, the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Arleigh Burke (DDG 51) arrived in Riga, Latvia for a scheduled port visit.
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The destroyer USS Arleigh Burke in Riga, Latvia. (Picture source: U.S. DoD)

Arleigh Burke is on its second patrol in U.S. Naval Forces Europe’s area of operations, working with NATO allies and partners in the region. Arleigh Burke began its current patrol in June, operating in the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea alongside allies and partners. The ship conducted port calls in Ferrol, Spain, and Villefranche-Sur-Mer, France, strengthening ties with Spanish and French navies.

Additionally, Arleigh Burke conducted interoperability exercises with the French and Spanish navies in the Atlantic and Mediterranean, highlighting the capability and capacity Forward Deployed Naval Forces-Europe (FDNF-E) ships bring to the European theater. Now in the Baltic Sea, Arleigh Burke continues its mission for diplomatic strengthening between NATO alliances.

These mobile, multi-mission capable ships routinely operate throughout the waters of Europe and Africa, from the Cape of Good Hope to the Arctic Circle, demonstrating their mastery of the maritime domain. Arleigh Burke is one of five U.S. Navy destroyers based at Naval Station Rota, Spain, and assigned to Commander Task Force 65 in support of NATO’s Integrated Air Missile Defense architecture.

About the destroyer USS Arleigh Burke

USS Arleigh Burke (DDG-51), named for Admiral Arleigh A. Burke, USN (1901–1996), is the lead ship of the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers. She was laid down by the Bath Iron Works company at Bath, Maine, on 6 December 1988, launched on 16 September 1989, and commissioned on 4 July 1991.

The destroyer has a length of 505 ft (154 m), a beam of 59 ft (18 m), and a draft of 31 ft (9.4 m). She can reach a top speed of 29 knots (56 km/h; 35 mph).

Guided-missile destroyers are multi-mission surface combatants capable of conducting Anti-Air Warfare (AAW), Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW), and Anti-Surface Warfare (ASuW).

The destroyer's armament has greatly expanded the role of the ship in strike warfare utilizing the MK-41 Vertical Launching System (VLS), and, beginning with ships equipped with Aegis Baseline 9, Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD).