Peace through strength is back. And America’s enemies are on their heels.
Now the White House deployed an American warship for a truly stunning reason.
A Bold Move for Border Security
President Donald Trump’s choice to dispatch a Navy warship to bolster security along the southern border is a clear signal of strength, aimed at discouraging anyone eyeing a sea route into the U.S., according to one expert.
The USS Gravely, an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, is now steaming toward the Gulf of America under Trump’s executive order, a move the Navy confirmed in a statement Saturday.
“It’s unusual, normally you see land forces, but it’s still smart,” said Alfonso Aguilar, former chief of the U.S. Office of Citizenship and director of Hispanic engagement at the American Principles Project, in an interview with Fox News Digital.
Aguilar sees this as a savvy extension of Trump’s border strategy, projecting power where it’s needed most.
Strengthening Sovereignty at Sea
The USS Gravely, which set sail from Naval Weapons Station Yorktown, Virginia, is tasked with patrolling the Gulf to intercept drug smugglers and curb illegal maritime crossings.
“Gravely’s sea-going capacity improves our ability to protect the United States’ territorial integrity, sovereignty, and security,” said Gen. Gregory Guillot of U.S. Northern Command, which oversees military efforts at the border.
Navy officials echoed this, highlighting the warship’s role in tackling “maritime-related terrorism, weapons proliferation, transnational crime, piracy, environmental destruction, and illegal seaborne immigration.”
Pentagon chief spokesperson Sean Parnell reinforced the mission’s importance on Monday, telling reporters, “It’s not only vital for the United States to have control of our border via land. It’s equally important to control our territorial waters, and this deployment directly supports U.S. Northern Command’s mission to protect our sovereignty.”
The Navy’s involvement, officials added, will “fill critical capabilities gaps” for the Department of Homeland Security, amplifying efforts to secure America’s maritime frontier.
A Strategic Show of Force
Aguilar praised the deployment as a natural progression of the military’s border role, which has already made strides on land. “It’s what the military calls force projection,” he said. “It’s a great way to dissuade those who want to try to come to the U.S. through the sea … it’s a show of force.” He argued that the USS Gravely will bolster the U.S. Coast Guard’s operations, covering more water and sending an unmistakable message to those seeking sea-based alternatives to land crossings.
“Like the forces on land that are providing a supportive balance role to the Border Patrol … the Navy will be doing the same thing, providing support to the Coast Guard in doing interdiction and enforcing … immigration activities on the high seas,” Aguilar explained.
He also tied the timing to Trump’s broader success in reducing border crossings.
“The numbers have gone down, even the number of people trying [to cross the border] by sea, but it’s still a route,” he said. “What we have seen is that every time we close the door, they try to find another way to get in. So we have to close our land border, but we also have to close those sea entries to the U.S.” For Aguilar, this naval move underscores a comprehensive, no-nonsense approach to safeguarding the nation.
