Overview
- The Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, commissioned Saturday at Naval Station Norfolk, entered active service before about 1,800 guests.
- USS Harvey C. Barnum Jr. is the first Navy ship named for a Vietnam War Medal of Honor recipient, honoring Marine Corps Col. Harvey C. Barnum Jr., who addressed the crew.
- Secretary of the Navy John C. Phelan led the ceremony as Adm. James W. Kilby and Gen. Eric M. Smith stressed that destroyers provide frontline deterrence and combat power.
- As a Flight IIA ship with the Aegis Baseline 9 combat system, DDG 124 can track and defeat air and missile threats and launch long-range strikes.
- Built by General Dynamics Bath Iron Works and delivered in November 2025, the destroyer will serve under Naval Surface Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet to strengthen coverage from the Western Pacific to the Persian Gulf.