An MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew based out of Air Station Kodiak and deployed aboard Cutter Alex Haley, prepares for a helicopter in-flight refueling at sea evolution with the cutter crew during a search and rescue case near Dutch Harbor, Alaska, Wednesday, Dec. 30, 2020. US Coast Guard Photo
This post is part of a series of stories looking back at the top naval news from 2020. Read More
Whidbey Island-class amphibious dock landing ship USS Comstock (LSD-45) steams in formation during Valiant Shield 2020 off Guam. US Navy Photo
A West Coast amphibious warship transited the Panama Canal on Monday on a mission to support anti-narcotics operations in the Caribbean, Navy officials told USNI News. Read More
H I Sutton Image. Used with permission
Central and South American drug runners are continuing to create new specialized smuggling vessels to move narcotics into the U.S., as evidenced by a sophisticated electric submersible seized earlier this month. Read More
USS Gabrielle Giffords (LCS-10) transits the Eastern Pacific Ocean on Oct. 6, 2020. US Navy Photo
Littoral Combat Ship USS Gabrielle Giffords (LCS-10) is now operating in the U.S. 4th Fleet area of responsibility to aid in performing anti-drug operations after a year-long deployment in the Pacific. Read More
The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Pinckney (DDG 91) returns to its homeport of Naval Base San Diego following the successful completion of a nine-month deployment. While deployed, Pinckney spent time in the U.S. 4th and 7th Fleet areas of operation. U.S. Navy Photo
Destroyer USS Pinckney (DDG-91) pulled into the San Diego harbor on Monday after an extended deployment that lasted nearly nine months, the Navy announced. Read More
The guided-missile destroyer USS Stout (DDG-55), right, and the amphibious assault ship USS Bataan (LHD-5) transits the Arabian Gulf April 26 2020. U.S. Navy Photo
Destroyer USS Stout (DDG-55) recently achieved a record-breaking deployment length after operating at sea for more than 200 days, the Navy announced. Read More
Information Specialist 1st Class Matthew Stephenson mans the lines as the Freedom-variant littoral combat ship USS Sioux City (LCS-11) gets underway on Aug. 30, 2020. US Navy Photo
USS Sioux City (LCS-11) deployed over the weekend to U.S. Southern Command to aid in conducting counter-narcotic missions, the Navy recently announced. Read More
Lt. j.g Alexander Fanning uses a radar system in the pilothouse of the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Pinckney (DDG-91) on May 28, 2020. US Navy Photo
A U.S. guided-missile destroyer conducted a freedom of navigation operation off the coast of Venezuela, U.S. Southern Command announced on Wednesday. Read More
USS Pinckney (DDG-91), with embarked U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Law Enforcement Detachment (LEDET) team, conducts enhanced counter-narcotics operations on May 14, 2020. US Coast Guard
The Navy has had more warships operating in the Caribbean and the Eastern Pacific in the last three months than it has in the last five years, pushing the results of a U.S. effort to seize drugs at sea to all-time highs. Read More
Sailors man the rails aboard the Freedom-variant littoral combat ship USS Little Rock (LCS-9) on Feb. 6, 2020
THE PENTAGON – A renewed presence of U.S. warships in Southern Command has military dimensions beyond providing a platform for law enforcement to interdict drug traffickers, the SOUTHCOM commander told USNI News this week. Read More
