U.S. Destroyer Makes Port Call in Africa
A Navy destroyer made a port call to Africa last week as the U.S. military considers new destinations for its warships amid longer deployments to support the war with Iran. USS Ross (DDG-71) pulled into Mombasa, Kenya, on Saturday for a planned stop, according to a Navy news release. The port call comes as deployments for U.S. Navy aircraft carriers and their escorts have been repeatedly extended amid the ongoing war between the U.S. and Iran. “Access to regional ports such as Mombasa supports the U.S. Navy’s ability to sustain readiness, conduct routine logistics and resupply, and remain prepared to
USS Ross (DDG-71) arrived in Mombasa, Kenya, for a scheduled port visit, Sept. 5, 2026. US Navy photo A Navy destroyer made a port call to Africa last week as the U.S. military considers new destinations for its warships amid longer deployments to support the war with Iran.
USS Ross (DDG-71) pulled into Mombasa, Kenya, on Saturday for a planned stop, according to a Navy news release.
The port call comes as deployments for U.S. Navy aircraft carriers and their escorts have been repeatedly extended amid the ongoing war between the U.S. and Iran.
“Access to regional ports such as Mombasa supports the U.S. Navy’s ability to sustain readiness, conduct routine logistics and resupply, and remain prepared to meet mission requirements,” reads a U.S. 6th Fleet news release. “Port visits also create opportunities for engagement with local partners and support economic activity in the host community.”
Since March, Ross has been deployed with the George H.W. Bush Carrier Strike Group, which has remained on station in U.S. 5th Fleet.
The U.S. Navy has been forced to re-evaluate its logistics chains for warships since the Iranian bombardment of U.S. 5th Fleet headquarters in Bahrain earlier this year.
Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle recently said the U.S. Navy is now considering African and Indian ports, in addition to Singapore, so sailors can take a rest while out for extended deployments. Last week, USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) made its first port call in 265 days to Thailand after being on station in U.S. 5th Fleet.
“There was a period of time in the early stages where we had to actually get the combat logistics force train coming out of Diego Garcia and parts moving from Singapore, parts moving from Japan and the Philippines and from the [U.S], getting that process in place so that we were really replenishing at sea in an effective and systematic way,” Caudle told reporters last month. “I think we have got that cracked now…Because I’ve got the combat logistics force treadmill, as I call it, now in a better place for resupply than some of the challenges that we saw early on with Abraham Lincoln that I don’t think we’ll see again.”
