USS Stockdale arrives in Caribbean to support counter-narcotics effort
By Riley Ceder
Sep 23, 2025, 05:16 PM
The USS Stockdale, seen here returning to its homeport of San Diego on Feb. 21, 2025, has replaced the USS Sampson in the Caribbean to support counter-narcotics operations. (MCS Class Claire M. Alfaro/U.S. Navy)
The USS Stockdale arrived in the Caribbean after traveling through the Panama Canal on Monday to support U.S. anti-narcotics operations, a U.S. defense official confirmed to Military Times.
The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer replaced the USS Sampson and assumes its mission of helping monitor, detect and halt the illicit flow of narcotics in the area, the official said.
There are currently eight Navy vessels assigned to the area, the official confirmed.
In addition to the Stockdale, the USS Jason Dunham, USS Gravely, USS Iwo Jima, USS Fort Lauderdale, USS San Antonio, USS Lake Erie and USS Minneapolis-Saint Paul are stationed in the U.S. Southern Command area of operations, according to reports.
The U.S. deployed the Gravely, Jason Dunham and Sampson to the Caribbean in August, as part of the Trump administration’s efforts to combat narcotics operations and thwart Latin American drug cartels.
https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-navy/2025/09/23/uss-stockdale-arrives-in-caribbean-to-support-counter-narcotics-effort/
