US Navy Reinforces Homeland Border Protection with USS Sampson in Southern Maritime.

According to information published by the U.S. Fleet Forces Command on June 3, 2025, the guided-missile destroyer USS Sampson (DDG 102), an Arleigh Burke-class ship, departed Naval Base San Diego for a new deployment within the area of responsibility of the United States Northern Command (USNORTHCOM). This marks a new rotation as part of U.S. Navy maritime security operations conducted off the national coastline, supporting federal priorities for defense and border surveillance.
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The Arleigh Burke-class Aegis guided-missile destroyer USS Sampson (Picture source: US DoD)

USS Sampson is relieving the littoral combat ship USS Charleston (LCS 18), an Independence-class vessel, continuing the Navy’s mission to monitor maritime areas adjacent to the U.S. southern border. This operation forms part of a coordinated interagency effort led by the Department of Defense to enhance homeland security and counter illicit maritime flows, in line with objectives defined by civilian authorities.

USS Sampson (DDG 102) is a Flight IIA Arleigh Burke-class multi-mission destroyer commissioned in November 2007. Built by Bath Iron Works in Bath, Maine, and currently homeported in Everett, Washington, the ship displaces 9,200 tons and measures 155 meters in length. It is powered by four General Electric LM2500-30 gas turbines with a combined output of 100,000 horsepower, enabling speeds in excess of 30 knots. The crew consists of approximately 380 sailors. Designed for broad naval operations, Sampson is capable of surface warfare, ballistic missile defense, anti-submarine warfare, and precision strikes against land or sea targets. It operates two MH-60R Seahawk helicopters used for anti-submarine warfare, surface search, and tactical reconnaissance.

It's Aegis combat system supports a wide range of weapons through 96 Mk 41 vertical launch system cells. These include RIM-66, RIM-156, and RIM-174 surface-to-air missiles, Tomahawk cruise missiles, RUM-139 anti-submarine rockets, and quad-packed ESSM. Additional armament consists of a 127 mm Mk 45 Mod 4 main gun, a 20 mm Phalanx CIWS, two 25 mm Mk 38 remote weapon stations, several 12.7 mm machine guns, and two triple Mk 32 torpedo launchers for Mk 46, 50, or 54 lightweight torpedoes. This loadout enables the ship to carry out air defense, undersea warfare, maritime interdiction, and protection of coastal and commercial sea lanes.

USS Sampson has previously participated in humanitarian missions, including in Kaikōura, New Zealand in 2016, in Tonga in 2022, and in the search for AirAsia Flight 8501 in 2014. These deployments reflect its operational versatility and integration within joint and allied frameworks.

For this mission, the destroyer includes a U.S. Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment (LEDET), a unit central to joint maritime counter-trafficking operations. These teams are regularly involved in Campaign Martillo, a combined initiative in the U.S. Southern Command area of responsibility, aimed at disrupting narcotics logistics networks. A recent example in the Caribbean involved USS Gravely (DDG 107) and LEDET 401 intercepting a cocaine shipment worth an estimated 13.5 million dollars.

On November 15, 2024, Sampson conducted a routine port call at Naval Base Ventura County (NBVC) in Port Hueneme, California, illustrating the operational pace of West Coast surface units tasked with presence, training, or transitional missions.

As part of Destroyer Squadron 9, USS Sampson is employed in missions focused on territorial defense and interagency maritime operations. Its current assignment is aimed at improving maritime domain awareness, deterring illegal activity near U.S. shores, and supporting federal efforts in border security and maritime interdiction.

Destroyers operating from both U.S. coasts, Pacific and Atlantic, regularly contribute to maritime control and hybrid threat management missions near the borders. These deployments are part of a continuous national strategy based on the integration of naval, aerial, and intelligence assets, and on interagency coordination with the U.S. Coast Guard and the Department of Homeland Security.

This mission is consistent with the strategic responsibilities of the U.S. Fleet Forces Command (USFFC), which oversees the training, readiness, and deployment of more than 125 ships, 1,000 aircraft, and over 100,000 personnel. USFFC serves as the Navy component for USNORTHCOM and U.S. Strategic Command. It also functions as the Naval Component Command for strategic operations and coordinates Atlantic maritime forces under Task Force Atlantic. As Joint Force Maritime Component Commander (JFMCC STRAT), USFFC integrates naval assets into joint planning and operations.

The deployment of USS Sampson demonstrates the role of Arleigh Burke-class destroyers in a wide spectrum of missions, including advanced territorial defense and presence in gray zone areas. By supporting joint command structures and working with civilian agencies, these deployments reinforce the use of naval assets in U.S. homeland defense and maritime security strategies.