US Navy deploys USS Mustin destroyer to Japan as China increases naval operations near Taiwan.

The US Navy is deploying the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Mustin to Yokosuka, replacing the cruiser USS Robert Smalls as part of a scheduled force rotation.

The US Navy will deploy the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Mustin (DDG-89) to Yokosuka, Japan, replacing the Ticonderoga-class cruiser USS Robert Smalls (CG-62) as part of a scheduled Seventh Fleet force rotation. The change maintains the US Navy's forward presence while adjusting missile capacity and coincides with increased Chinese naval activity near Taiwan and Japan.
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The USS Mustin, a Flight IIA Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, can perform air defense, ballistic missile defense, strike warfare, and anti-submarine warfare, and can operate independently or within a carrier strike group. (Picture source: US Navy)

On March 10, 2026, the U.S Navy announced that the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Mustin (DDG-89) will forward deploy to Yokosuka, Japan, replacing the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Robert Smalls (CG-62) under a scheduled Pacific rotation, with the movement involving a permanent stationing of roughly 380 crew members and associated dependents and following the ship’s departure from Naval Base San Diego on February 23, 2026. The transition maintains a forward-deployed large surface combatant within the Seventh Fleet while modifying the composition of missile capacity and command functions available in Japan.

The rotation occurs as part of force management cycles that redistribute ships between U.S and forward bases, ensuring continuous presence in Northeast Asia. Yokosuka hosts multiple U.S Navy units, including destroyers and carrier strike group elements, and functions as the primary hub for sustained naval operations west of Hawaii. USS Mustin is a Flight IIA Arleigh Burke-class destroyer displacing 9,200 tons with a length of 155.30 meters, beam of 20 meters, and draft of 9.4 meters, powered by four LM2500-30 gas turbines producing 100,000 shp and driving two shafts for speeds exceeding 30 knots. The ship carries a complement of about 380 personnel and integrates the Aegis combat system with the AN/SPY-1 radar, allowing simultaneous tracking of more than 100 targets and engagement of multiple threats.

The destroyer is configured for multi-mission operations, including air defense, ballistic missile defense, strike warfare, and anti-submarine warfare, and can operate independently or within a carrier strike group. Its endurance and propulsion allow extended deployments in the Western Pacific without reliance on frequent resupply. The ship’s Mk 41 vertical launch system contains 96 cells capable of accommodating a mixed missile load including SM-2, SM-3, and SM-6 interceptors, Evolved Sea Sparrow Missiles, Tomahawk cruise missiles with ranges exceeding 1,000 km, and RUM-139 ASROC anti-submarine rockets. Additional armament includes a 127 mm Mk 45 Mod 4 gun with a firing range beyond 20 km, a Phalanx CIWS for terminal defense, two Mk 38 25 mm gun systems, and multiple .50 caliber machine guns.

Anti-submarine warfare capability is supported by two triple torpedo tubes and two MH-60R helicopters equipped with dipping sonar, sonobuoys, and torpedoes, extending detection and engagement range beyond the ship’s organic sensors. The vessel was constructed at Ingalls Shipbuilding, with keel laying on January 15, 2001, launch on December 12, 2001, and commissioning on July 26, 2003. It has conducted repeated deployments in the Western Pacific, including a previous Yokosuka assignment beginning in 2006 and participation in disaster response operations in March 2011. The USS Robert Smalls, for its part, is a Ticonderoga-class cruiser with a displacement of about 9,800 tons, a length of 173 meters, and propulsion based on four LM2500 gas turbines enabling speeds of 32.5 knots, with a crew of about 330 personnel.

The cruiser is equipped with two Mk 41 vertical launch systems totaling 122 cells, providing 27 percent more missile capacity than a destroyer, and integrates AN/SPY-1 radar with additional command and control functions supporting area air defense for carrier strike groups. Its weapons suite includes Standard Missiles, SM-3 interceptors, Tomahawk cruise missiles, Harpoon anti-ship missiles, torpedoes, and two MH-60R helicopters, enabling simultaneous engagement across air, surface, and subsurface domains. Commissioned in 1989 and renamed in 2023, the ship has operated from Yokosuka as part of Carrier Strike Group Five, providing air defense command capability and escort functions. The replacement of USS Robert Smalls with USS Mustin reduces vertical launch capacity at Yokosuka from 122 to 96 cells, representing a decrease of 26 cells, which affects the total volume of interceptors or strike missiles available for sustained operations.

However, the destroyer incorporates newer system upgrades and reduced crew requirements, lowering operating and maintenance costs relative to older cruiser hulls. The cruiser’s command role within carrier strike groups, particularly for air defense coordination, is not fully replicated by a single destroyer, requiring redistribution of command functions across other ships. The transition reflects a broader fleet trend in which aging cruisers are phased out while destroyers assume a larger share of operational roles, with implications for missile capacity, command structure, and lifecycle costs. Forward deployment of surface combatants to Yokosuka reduces transit time from the U.S West Coast by 10 to 14 days, depending on routing, increasing the proportion of time ships spend on operational tasking rather than transit.

Ships based in Japan conduct patrols in the East China Sea, Philippine Sea, and Sea of Japan, covering key maritime corridors including the Taiwan Strait and approaches to the Korean Peninsula. These deployments include ballistic missile defense tracking, anti-submarine warfare patrols, and escort operations for carrier strike groups, as well as participation in bilateral and multilateral exercises with the Japan Self-Defense Forces. Forward basing enables rapid response to regional contingencies, with ships able to deploy within hours rather than weeks from continental U.S ports. The integration of U.S Navy destroyers with Japanese naval forces includes coordinated anti-submarine warfare operations using combined sonar networks, shared maritime domain awareness data, and joint exercises involving surface, air, and subsurface units.

U.S destroyers routinely operate alongside Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyers equipped with similar Aegis systems, allowing interoperability in missile defense and air defense missions. The forward presence also supports amphibious and expeditionary operations, with destroyers providing escort and fire support functions for Marine units operating in the region. Rotational deployment cycles ensure that ships undergo maintenance and crew turnover while maintaining a constant number of forward-deployed units. China's naval activity in waters surrounding Japan has increased in measurable terms over recent years, with Japan’s Ministry of Defense reporting more than 700 Chinese naval and government vessel transits through key straits annually, including repeated passages through the Miyako Strait into the Philippine Sea.

Carrier operations have expanded, with at least three Chinese aircraft carriers now active, including deployments where carrier groups composed of one carrier, 4 to 6 escorting destroyers and frigates, and support ships have operated east of Taiwan and south of Japan for periods exceeding 20 to 30 consecutive days. The operational tempo has resulted in a corresponding increase in interception and monitoring missions, with Japanese forces scrambling aircraft more than 900 times per year in response to nearby air and naval activity. U.S Navy destroyers also conduct persistent surface and subsurface tracking operations in adjacent waters, as Chinese naval formations often operate within 200 to 300 nautical miles of Japanese territory, with some movements passing within 100 nautical miles of key islands in the Ryukyu chain. Therefore, the scale and frequency of these operations place sustained demand on U.S. forward-deployed naval forces, reinforcing the requirement for ships based in Yokosuka to maintain readiness for immediate response.

Written by Jérôme Brahy

Jérôme Brahy is a defense analyst and documentalist at Army Recognition. He specializes in naval modernization, aviation, drones, armored vehicles, and artillery, with a focus on strategic developments in the United States, China, Ukraine, Russia, Türkiye, and Belgium. His analyses go beyond the facts, providing context, identifying key actors, and explaining why defense news matters on a global scale.