The USS Roosevelt, an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, exemplifies the US Navy's advancements in naval warfare capabilities, particularly with its recent deployment in the eastern Mediterranean in support of the Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group (CSG) last year.

USS Roosevelt departed Naval Station Rota, Spain, to begin its sixth Forward-Deployed Naval Forces-Europe (FDNF-E) patrol in the Mediterranean Sea on April 11, the US Navy said in a statement.

The Roosevelt completed its fifth FDNF-E patrol in November 2023, during which it integrated with the Ford CSG, which deployed to the Mediterranean Sea in October.

At the time, the Ford CSG included the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, the Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser USS Normandy, as well as the Arleigh-Burke-class guided missile destroyers USS Thomas Hudner, USS Ramage, USS Carney and USS Roosevelt.

During the deployment, the CSG operated in the Mediterranean Sea to deter escalation after Hamas' October 7 terrorist attack on Israel.

Battle ready

The USS Roosevelt is one of four US Navy destroyers based in Rota, Spain, in support of NATO's Integrated Air Missile Defense (IAMD) architecture.

These FDNF-E ships operate throughout the waters of Europe and Africa, from the Cape of Good Hope to the Arctic Circle.

Arleigh Burke-class destroyers center on the integrated Aegis Weapon System, which consists of advanced Anti-Air Warfare and Anti-Submarine Warfare systems as well as the all-weather, long-range Tomahawk Weapon System, which can conduct land attacks.

The USS Roosevelt, as a Flight IIA variant of the Arleigh Burke class, is equipped with enhancements such as organic mine hunting and area theater ballistic missile defense.

Flight IIA destroyers are also outfitted with side-by-side helicopter hangars housing two Seahawk MH-60R helicopters and possess an enlarged flight deck.

The USS Roosevelt was one of the first Arleigh Burke-class destroyers to bring to the IAMD the newly upgraded Aegis Baseline 9/Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) 5.1, which improves tracking, identification and intercept capabilities to solve for evolving, complex threats.

The destroyer has also been upgraded with a SeaRAM Close-In Weapon System (CIWS) anti-ship missile defense system, replacing its Phalanx CIWS.

The SeaRAM has a combined search-and-track radar and electro-optic sensor with an 11-cell RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM) launcher for autonomous close protection.