The U.S. military’s newest Burke-class Flight III Aegis destroyer USS Stevens officially enters service in Whittier, Alaska

The USS Stevens is the latest Burke-class Flight III Aegis destroyer of the U.S. military. It was officially commissioned in Whittier, Alaska on October 3. (Photo: U.S. Navy)

[Compiled by Chen Chengliang/Comprehensive Report] The U.S. Navy's latest generation "Burke-class Flight III" Aegis destroyer "USS Ted Stevens, DDG-128" officially entered active service, and a commissioning ceremony was held on October 3 in Whittier, Alaska. This destroyer, equipped with a new radar and Aegis combat system, officially entered service after completing sea testing and acceptance.

According to the military news website "Naval News", the USS Stevens is the second Burke-class Flight III destroyer of the U.S. Navy to enter active service, and the commissioning ceremony was specially chosen to be held in Alaska. The U.S. Navy said that the selection of Whittier not only highlights Alaska's important maritime heritage, but also symbolizes the long-term cooperative relationship between the U.S. Navy and the state of Alaska.

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New Aegis system strengthens air defense and anti-missile capabilities

USS Stevens is one of the first Burke-class Flight III ships, equipped with AN/SPY-6(V)1 "Air and Missile Defense Radar (AMDR)" and "Aegis Baseline 10". Compared with earlier Burke-class destroyers, Flight III also has enhanced power supply and cooling capabilities to support a new generation of sensors and combat systems.

The U.S. Navy pointed out that these upgrades give the Burkettage Flight III destroyer greater air and ballistic missile defense capabilities and can deal with more threats at the same time. U.S. Chief of Naval Operations Daryl Caudle said that the Stevens is equipped with advanced sensors, weapons and anti-aircraft and anti-missile capabilities, which will increase the U.S. Navy's ability to detect, track and defeat maritime threats.

The location of this service ceremony also has special significance. The U.S. Navy said that from operations in the North Pacific during World War II to current operations in the Arctic waters, the U.S. military has maintained long-term cooperation with Alaska, including security patrols in high-latitude waters, cold-weather combat training and joint exercises. However, the permanent homeport of the Stevens after it was officially commissioned was not Alaska, but Norfolk, Virginia.

The USS Stevens was named after the late Alaska U.S. Senator Ted Stevens, who served as a U.S. Army Air Forces pilot during World War II. After the war, he became involved in Alaska politics and promoted national defense and military modernization in the U.S. Senate for a long time. This is also the first warship named after him.