The guided missile destroyer USS Milius (DDG 69) departed Naval Base San Diego Oct. 20 on an independent deployment to the Western Pacific and Indian Oceans.

The ship and crew of more than 300 Sailors, assigned to Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 21, will conduct presence operations and goodwill activities with partner nations.

Prior to deploying to the U.S. 7th Fleet area of responsibility, Milius will participate in a Task Group Exercise off the coast of Southern California, Oct. 20-31, along with other units from the U.S and Canadian navies and the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force.

U.S. 3rd Fleet will lead the exercise that serves to train independently-deploying units in air defense, anti-submarine warfare, surface warfare, and maritime interdiction operations, while also building cooperative relationships.

Milius is a multi-mission ship with anti-air warfare, anti-submarine warfare and anti-surface warfare surface combatants capabilities, designed to operate independently or with an associated strike group.

The Navy announced Oct. 16 the ballistic missile defense (BMD)-capable guided-missile destroyers USS Benfold (DDG 65) and Milius will become part of the Forward Deployed Naval Forces (FDNF) based at Commander, Fleet Activities Yokosuka, Japan in the summers of 2015 and 2017, respectively.

Milius is homeported in San Diego and is part of Naval Surface Forces and U.S. 3rd Fleet.

U.S. 3rd Fleet leads naval forces in the Eastern Pacific from the West Coast of North America to the international date line and provides the realistic, relevant training necessary for an effective global Navy.