USS Paul Ignatius conducted a high-intensity Naval Surface Fire Support exercise in the Atlantic during its deployment with the U.S. Sixth Fleet, demonstrating the Navy’s focus on maintaining cost-effective, sustained firepower amid evolving missile threats and contested littoral environments.
On December 4, 2025, the Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Paul Ignatius (DDG 117) carried out a live-fire Naval Surface Fire Support exercise in the Atlantic while deployed under the U.S. Sixth Fleet. The drill highlighted the destroyer’s role as a forward-deployed combatant capable of delivering precise naval gunfire across Europe and Africa. During the exercise, Paul Ignatius shifted from routine patrol to coordinated action, employing its Mk 45 5-inch naval gun against training targets under conditions simulating real-world operational scenarios.
As a Flight IIA Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, Paul Ignatius represents one of the Navy’s most advanced and battle-tested surface combatants. Equipped with the Aegis Combat System and AN/SPY radar, the ship can simultaneously track air, surface, and ballistic threats. Its 96-cell Vertical Launch System allows firing of Standard Missiles, Tomahawk land-attack weapons, and ASROC anti-submarine rockets, providing comprehensive air defense, deep-strike, and undersea warfare capabilities. Propulsion comes from four General Electric LM2500 gas turbines, enabling speeds above 30 knots, while hull-mounted and towed array sonar systems maintain continuous undersea surveillance.
The destroyer’s Mk 45 gun provides versatile fire support, from coastal bombardment to counter-drone engagements, complemented by the Mk 15 Phalanx Close-In Weapon System for point defense. With extensive compartmentalization, armored bulkheads, and reduced radar cross-section, the ship can operate independently or integrate into carrier strike groups, amphibious task forces, and NATO operations.
During the drill, sailors coordinated closely between the bridge, combat information center, and gun mount team to ensure rapid targeting, firing, and adjustment. The scenario tested multitasking agility, reflecting the Arleigh Burke-class expectation to conduct air defense, surface warfare, and limited ballistic missile defense while supporting operations ashore.
The exercise also underscores the Navy’s renewed emphasis on heavy naval guns in an era of constrained missile stockpiles and proliferating unmanned threats. Analysts note that in dense littoral regions, naval artillery provides sustained, cost-effective firepower that complements precision missile systems. The Paul Ignatius live fire demonstrated that traditional gun capabilities remain operationally relevant.
Forward-deployed to Rota, Spain, Paul Ignatius operates within the Sixth Fleet, maintaining a visible presence from the Mediterranean to the North Atlantic. Regular patrols and joint exercises reinforce the ship’s deterrence value, showing allied and potential adversary forces that U.S. surface combatants are ready for action.
The Mk 45 gun, often overshadowed by radar arrays and missile cells, remains a key asset. With a firing rate of up to twenty rounds per minute and deep ammunition capacity, it provides sustained fire that missile systems cannot match, especially for countering small surface threats and drones at lower cost.
Live-fire training remains a cornerstone of readiness. Exercises like this integrate destroyers into distributed maritime operations and joint fires concepts, demonstrating that even in the era of advanced missiles and contested littorals, naval guns continue to be a critical instrument of American sea power.
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