US Navy’s Spain-based Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Porter (DDG 78) is entering the Black Sea for exercises and engagements with regional allies.
The US Navy said the Aegis destroyer started its north-bound transit to the Black Sea on August 8.
Porter’s arrival in the Black Sea will be the sixth time a US ship has visited the body of water since the beginning of 2019.
The last ship to operate there was USS Carney in July. Carney participated in exercise Sea Breeze 2019, a US-Ukraine co-hosted exercise that brought 19 nations together for the 19th iteration of the exercise.
“The naval operations we conduct in the Black Sea with our allies and partners maintain the strong relationships that are necessary for regional stability,” said Vice Adm. Lisa M. Franchetti, commander of US 6th Fleet. “The inherent flexibility of our forward-deployed naval force DDGs enables our ability to provide a credible defense and ensure we are postured appropriately to support our global operations.”
USS Porter is currently on its seventh patrol in the European area of operations. The US Navy has four destroyers stationed in Spain that are tasked with providing ballistic missile defense protection in the European theater. The service is to start replacing USS Porter (DDG 78), USS Ross (DDG 71), USS Carney (DDG 64), and USS Donald Cook (DDG 75) with more capable units in 2020 .