USS Decatur to Deploy

From U.S. 3rd Fleet Public Affairs

SAN DIEGO (NNS) -- Guided-missile destroyer USS Decatur (DDG 73) will depart San Diego for an independent deployment to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility (AOR) Sept. 21.

The primary focus of this deployment will be ballistic missile defense (BMD).

BMD capable guided-missile cruisers and destroyers provide a great flexibility to combatant commanders. In many cases, they are able to carry out assigned BMD missions while still being ready to respond to other operational tasking such as maritime interdiction operations, battle group air defense, and multinational exercises.

Decatur is assigned to Commander, Destroyer Squadron Seven, and is designed to operate with Expeditionary Strike Groups and Carrier Strike Groups in high-threat environments. Destroyers can also provide essential escort capabilities to Navy and Marine Corps amphibious forces, combat logistics ships and convoys.

Decatur's Aegis combat system includes the AN/SPY-1D phased array radar, which scans in all directions simultaneously to detect, track and engage hundreds of aircraft and missiles while continuously watching the sky for new targets. The ship is equipped with the MK41 Vertical Launching System, which fires a combination of up to 90 standard surface-to-air missiles, Tomahawk surface-to-land missiles and vertical launch anti-submarine rockets.

Decatur helps provide deterrence, promote peace and security, preserve freedom of the sea and humanitarian/disaster response within U.S. 3rd Fleet's 50-million square mile AOR in the Eastern Pacific, as well as support the Navy's Maritime Strategy when forward deployed.