Will the USS Stockdale deploy its weapons in anger during its southern border mission?
Whether you love or hate U.S. President Donald Trump, you cannot dispute that he is dead serious about securing the southern border. Early in his term, Trump deployed the military to the border, including the literal “boots on the ground” of the Army National Guard, aerial assets of the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy alike (the U-2 “Dragon Lady” spy plane and P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol craft respectively), and for good measure, U.S. Navy surface warships.
USS Stockdale to the Southern Border
The story comes to us via FOX News reporter Alexandra Koch, in an article published on or about April 12, 2025, titled “Navy deploys another Houthi-fighting warship to new US southern border mission.” To wit:
“USS Stockdale, an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, left Naval Base San Diego on Friday to support U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) southern border operations, in accordance with President Donald Trump‘s recent executive orders … ‘Stockdale’s departure reinforces the Navy’s role in the Department of Defense’s coordinated efforts to comply with the order,’ according to a statement from the Navy … The ship will continue operations with an embarked U.S. Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment … While in the 5th Fleet, Stockdale “successfully repelled multiple Iranian-backed Houthi attacks” during transits of the Bab el-Mandeb strait and escorted operations of U.S.-flagged vessels in the Gulf of Aden, according to the Navy.”
There are two other Burke-class destroyers that have already been participating in this border security mission since March, namely USS Gravely (DDG-107) and USS Spruance (DDG-211); thus, the on-scene arrival of USS Stockdale (DDG-106) rounds out a trifecta of Burkes by the border.
USS Stockdale (DDG-106) Brief History and Specifications
Built by General Dynamics Bath Iron Works of Bath, Maine, USS Stockdale was awarded on September 13, 2002, laid down on August 10, 2006, launched on February 24, 2008, and commissioned on April 18, 2009. It is the fifty-sixth ship of the Burke class (out of a total of seventy-four completed).
Stockdale and its sister ships (a total of six of which have been commissioned thus far) have the following specifications and vital stats:
- Displacement: 9,200 tons
- Hull Length: 510 ft (160 m)
- Beam Width: 66 ft (20 m)
- Draft: 33 ft (10 m)
- Speed: 30+ knots (56 km/h; 35 mph)
- Range: 4,400 nautical miles (8,100 km; 5,100 mi)
- Crew Complement: 260 commissioned officers and enlisted sailors
- Armament:
- Guns: One 5-inch (127 mm)/62 Mk 45 mod 4 (lightweight gun); one 20 mm (0.8 in) Phalanx CIWS (Close-In Weapons System); two 25 mm (0.98 in) Mk 38 machine gun systems; four .50 caliber (12.7 mm) caliber Browning M2 “Ma Deuce” machine guns
- Missiles: One 32-cell, one 64-cell (ninety-six total cells) Lockheed Martin Mk 41 vertical launching system; currently integrated with Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile, Tomahawk Cruise Missile, Standard Missile 2, Standard Missile 3, Standard Missile 6, and Vertical Launch ASROC
- Torpedoes: Two Mark 32 triple torpedo tubes, integrated with the Mk 46, Mk 50, and Mk 54 lightweight torpedoes
Stockdale’s motto is “Return With Honor,” which is entirely apropos as it was named for the late great Vice Admiral James Bond Stockdale, a naval Aviator during the Vietnam War and Medal of Honor recipient who was the seniormost naval officer to be held as a prisoner of war in North Vietnam’s infamous “Hanoi Hilton” prison. Equally apropos, the ship was officially sponsored by the admiral’s late widow, Sybil Elizabeth Stockdale.
The Way Forward?
As farfetched as it may sound, it would be interesting to see if Stockdale and/or its sister ships wind up deploying their weapons in anger during their border mission, such as against, say, fentanyl-smuggling vessels and aircraft or cruise missile strikes against narco-terrorist strongholds. Stranger things have happened.
About the Author: Christian D. Orr
Christian D. Orr was previously a Senior Defense Editor for National Security Journal (NSJ) and 19FortyFive. He is a former Air Force Security Forces officer, Federal law enforcement officer, and private military contractor (with assignments worked in Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Kosovo, Japan, Germany, and the Pentagon). Chris holds a B.A. in International Relations from the University of Southern California (USC) and an M.A. in Intelligence Studies (concentration in Terrorism Studies) from American Military University (AMU). He has also been published in The Daily Torch, The Journal of Intelligence and Cyber Security, and Simple Flying. Last but not least, he is a Companion of the Order of the Naval Order of the United States (NOUS). If you’d like to pick his brain further, you can ofttimes find him at the Old Virginia Tobacco Company (OVTC) lounge in Manassas, Virginia, partaking of fine stogies and good quality human camaraderie.
Image: DVIDS.
