Latest news with #USSCole
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Third Navy destroyer heads to southern waters as administration strengthens maritime border security
The Navy on Friday announced a third destroyer is being sent to the southern border to aid in the ongoing efforts to patrol the U.S.-Mexico boundary in an effort to curb illegal immigration and drug smuggling. Navy officials said the USS Cole, an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, has departed Mayport, Florida, to support southern border operations. Earlier this year, the USS Spurance deployed from its homeport of San Diego, and the USS Gravely deployed from its homeport of Norfolk, Virginia. Both vessels are currently sailing in waters on either side of Mexico, with a Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment (LEDET) team on board. Together, the crews will work closely with the Coast Guard to intercept drug trafficking operations. Navy Deploys Another Houthi-fighting Warship To New Us Southern Border Mission The Cole will take over duties from the Gravely and commence similar operations in support of U.S. Northern Command's (NORTHCOM) border security objectives, the Navy said. Read On The Fox News App The Gravely entered the Gulf of America on March 15, and since then has received support from P-8 aircraft assigned to Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Florida, allowing for enhanced and increased identification of illicit activity by the Coast Guard. Viral Coast Guard Video Shows Dramatic Arrest Of Suspected Drug Smugglers In Open Ocean "USS Gravely remains at the forefront of maritime operations, ready to take on any challenge," USS Gravely Cmdr. Gregory Piorun said. "We will continue to stand strong, protect vital waters, and ensure that justice prevails. True to our motto, we remain always, 'First to Conquer.'" Gravely helped seize an estimated 860 pounds of illegal drugs from a vessel in the Caribbean Sea on May 25. The interdiction by Gravely was conducted by the ship's Visit, Board, Search and Seizure (VBSS) team alongside a LEDET assigned to the ship. The VBSS team boarded the vessel and discovered and seized 19 bales of cocaine, with an approximate weight of 860 pounds, estimated to be valued at more than $13.6 million, according to the Navy. "This operation supports the administration's focus on integrated homeland defense and maritime border security," Capt. Raymond Jackson, commanding officer of Coast Guard Tactical Law Enforcement Team South, said. "By uniting Coast Guard law enforcement expertise with Navy reach and surveillance, we're enhancing deterrence, increasing domain awareness and reinforcing our commitment to protecting the homeland."Original article source: Third Navy destroyer heads to southern waters as administration strengthens maritime border security
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump's Pentagon keeps sending destroyers that fought in the Red Sea to the US southern border — a fourth one is on its way
The Defense Department is sending another destroyer, USS Cole, to the southern border mission. Cole is the latest destroyer to go from the Red Sea conflict to America's backyard. The warship is one of the many military assets the White House has sent to the US-Mexico border. A fourth US Navy destroyer that participated in the Red Sea conflict is on its way to support President Donald Trump's southern border mission, bringing a range of advanced naval combat capabilities to a very different operating environment. The Navy announced Friday that the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Cole had left its homeport in Florida to support US Northern Command's "border security objectives." The Trump administration has made cracking down on maritime-related criminal activity, including weapons smuggling, drug trafficking, and illegal immigration, a top priority, and the Defense Department has sent military assets to the US-Mexico border. Among these assets are five destroyers and a littoral combat ship on staggered deployments. Cole, like the other warships, is set to be accompanied by a US Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment. They specialize in military operations at sea, such as counterterrorism, counterpiracy, and anti-immigration missions. Arleigh Burke-class destroyers like the Cole are advanced naval surface ships with robust communications and sensor suites and are suited for long-endurance missions. These vessels can be armed with surface-to-air and land-attack missiles. Other armaments include the ship's five-inch deck gun, machine guns, and a Phalanx Close-In Weapons System. The Navy said that the Cole's deployment to the southern border "aims to enhance maritime security and support interagency collaboration in the region through presence operations" and the support of the Coast Guard operators, who can perform vessel boardings, searches, and seizures to target drug trafficking, illegal immigration, and maritime criminal activity. Cole's new assignment makes it the latest destroyer to go from the Red Sea conflict, where it defended international shipping lanes from attacks by Iran-backed Houthi rebels, to patrolling the waters near the US-Mexico border. It follows in the footsteps of USS Gravely, USS Stockdale, and USS Spruance, which all had extensive Middle East deployments last year. When the Cole arrives in the Gulf of Mexico, which the Trump administration has renamed the Gulf of America, it will be one of two destroyers actively participating in the mission. The other warship, USS Sampson, departed its homeport in San Diego a few days ago and will be operating in the Pacific Ocean. Read the original article on Business Insider
Business Insider
2 days ago
- Politics
- Business Insider
Trump's Pentagon keeps sending destroyers that fought in the Red Sea to the US southern border — a fourth one is on its way
A fourth US Navy destroyer that participated in the Red Sea conflict is on its way to support President Donald Trump's southern border mission, bringing a range of advanced naval combat capabilities to a very different operating environment. The Navy announced Friday that the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Cole had left its homeport in Florida to support US Northern Command's "border security objectives." The Trump administration has made cracking down on maritime-related criminal activity, including weapons smuggling, drug trafficking, and illegal immigration, a top priority, and the Defense Department has sent military assets to the US-Mexico border. Among these assets are five destroyers and a littoral combat ship on staggered deployments. Cole, like the other warships, is set to be accompanied by a US Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment. They specialize in military operations at sea, such as counterterrorism, counterpiracy, and anti-immigration missions. Arleigh Burke-class destroyers like the Cole are advanced naval surface ships with robust communications and sensor suites and are suited for long-endurance missions. These vessels can be armed with surface-to-air and land-attack missiles. Other armaments include the ship's five-inch deck gun, machine guns, and a Phalanx Close-In Weapons System. The Navy said that the Cole's deployment to the southern border "aims to enhance maritime security and support interagency collaboration in the region through presence operations" and the support of the Coast Guard operators, who can perform vessel boardings, searches, and seizures to target drug trafficking, illegal immigration, and maritime criminal activity. Cole's new assignment makes it the latest destroyer to go from the Red Sea conflict, where it defended international shipping lanes from attacks by Iran-backed Houthi rebels, to patrolling the waters near the US-Mexico border. It follows in the footsteps of USS Gravely, USS Stockdale, and USS Spruance, which all had extensive Middle East deployments last year. When the Cole arrives in the Gulf of Mexico, which the Trump administration has renamed the Gulf of America, it will be one of two destroyers actively participating in the mission. The other warship, USS Sampson, departed its homeport in San Diego a few days ago and will be operating in the Pacific Ocean.
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Bleachers being removed from Hite Field for safety reasons
CLARKSBURG, (WBOY) — Crews were at Hite Field in Clarksburg on Monday removing the bleachers from the endzone, but the future of the field is still being decided. According to Harrison County Schools Superintendent Dora Stutler, the bleachers were inspected and deemed unsafe. After the old ones are removed, temporary bleachers will be added until the Harrison County Board of Education decides how it wants to move forward. The facility off Chestnut Street in Clarksburg used to serve as home field for four high schools in the city—Washington Irving, Victory, Roosevelt-Wilson and Notre Dame. With multiple rounds of school closures over the past decades, fewer and fewer schools utilize the field. After Washington Irving Middle School consolidates with Mountaineer Middle School and moves into the current Liberty High School building at the beginning of the 2025-2026 school year, the field will no longer be associated with a public school. Trial delay 'another disappointment' for USS Cole victim's family Construction at Hite Field in Clarksburg on May 5, 2025 (WBOY image) Stulter said that the board has not decided whether or not the bleachers will be replaced or how the field will be utilized in the future. The field is still used for some youth sports and community events. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Yahoo
Trial delay ‘another disappointment' for USS Cole victim's family
GUANTANAMO BAY, CUBA (WBOY) — This week marked Saundra Norman's sixth or seventh trip to Guantanamo Bay to observe court proceedings in the case of Abd Al-Rahim Al-Nashiri, the accused mastermind behind the terrorist attack on the US Navy destroyer USS Cole in 2000. She's been to the military base in southern Cuba so many times that she has trouble keeping count. Norman's son, Petty Officer First Class Kevin Rux, was one of 17 sailors killed when a bomb-laden small boat struck the ship while it was docked in Yemen. On Monday morning, another round of pre-trial motions was set to be held for Al-Nashiri, but the military judge presiding over the case delayed the trial until June 2026 to allow defense attorneys more time to prepare. Al-Nashiri faces the death penalty. Bridgeport mayor plans legal response to former city manager 'Another disappointment,' said Mrs. Norman via text to 12 News Monday afternoon. Al-Nashiri's trial has been delayed several times since his arrest in 2002. Defense attorneys have previously argued that the evidence against Al-Nashiri was based on hearsay and torture. 'We've had (victims') parents who have died without seeing justice,' Norman told 12 News in 2023. 'We just need to get this trial going. It keeps the wound open and it just doesn't get any easier.' Mrs. Norman and the surviving family members of the victims will spend the rest of the week together at the base. Kevin Rux's body is buried at the National Cemetery in Taylor County. The bridge over Interstate 79 at Saltwell Road in Harrison County is named in his memory. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
