The commanding officers of the two Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers Ross and Porter (DDG 78) received a call from President Donald Trump on Sunday, Navy officials said.
The call was to thank the two commanding officers and their crews for their "professionalism and quick response" in conducting the missile strike on Shayrat airfield in western Syria over the weekend. The missile strike on Syria was in response to the Syrian regime's alleged use of chemical weapons.
Cmdr. Russell Caldwell, commanding officer of Ross, explained that the mission's success was reliant on "training, technical knowledge, and dedication" and that he was honored to "hear firsthand from our commander in chief that these operations had a direct impact in support of his national objectives."
Cmdr. Andria Slough, commanding officer of Porter, said that the president was "impressed with Porter's precision and lethality" and was "extremely pleased" with the success of the missile strikes.
Ross departed on its fifth forward-deployed patrol April 3 while Porter, on its third forward-deployed patrol, departed Nov. 30. Both vessels are conducting routine patrols in the 6th Fleet area of operations, supporting U.S. national security interests in Europe.
The 6th Fleet is headquartered in Naples, Italy. It conducts operations to advance U.S. national interests and security and stability in Europe and Africa.
Rachael Kalinyak is an editorial intern with Network Solutions.
