SAN DIEGO, California -- USS Milius (DDG 69), a ballistic missile defense (BMD) capable guided-missile destroyer, will leave her homeport of San Diego, April 20, to join the Forward Deployed Naval Forces-Japan.

Milius will be forward deployed to Fleet Activities Yokosuka, Japan, and is scheduled to arrive at the end of May.

Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers perform key roles in support of carrier strike groups, expeditionary strike groups or surface action groups. Destroyers are capable of sustained combat operations supporting forward presence, maritime security, sea control and deterrence.

These combatants operate in a network centric warfare environment and execute multi-mission tasking to include air, surface, undersea, space and cyber warfare. Destroyers coordinate with units of a task group to conduct naval operations and execute the Maritime Strategy under a naval component commander.

Maintaining the most technologically advanced ships is vital to support the United States’ commitment to the security, stability and prosperity of the Indo-Pacific region.