The destroyer USS Thomas Hudner launches an SM-6 missile during an exercise on May 20, 2025. This month, the ship participated in the interception of Iranian missiles, and on Sunday, the crew received a visit from Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, while in port at Souda Bay in Greece. (RuKiyah Mack/U.S. Navy)
NAPLES, Italy — The nation’s highest-ranking military officer met with Navy sailors aboard a destroyer supporting Israel’s defense in the eastern Mediterranean Sea on Sunday.
Air Force Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, visited USS Thomas Hudner while the ship was in port at Naval Support Activity Souda Bay on the Greek island of Crete, the Navy said in a statement the same day.
Caine and Adm. Stuart Munsch, commander of U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa, thanked crew members for their contributions in support of Defense Department and Navy operations, the service said.
Thomas Hudner sailors “have made tremendous contributions to America’s, and the region’s, security,” Caine said in the statement, adding that he was proud of crew members and grateful for their service.
Thomas Hudner is one of five ballistic missile defense destroyers operating in the eastern Mediterranean to help defend Israel against Iranian attacks and promote regional stability, according to the statement.
The other destroyers are USS Arleigh Burke, USS Paul Ignatius and USS Oscar Austin, all homeported at Naval Station Rota in Spain. The fifth destroyer, USS The Sullivans, is homeported in Mayport, Fla.
Since June 14, the destroyers, including Thomas Hudner, have shot down multiple Iranian ballistic missiles, the Navy said. It did not specify the number intercepted by each ship.
The destroyers were sent to the region as increasing hostilities between Israel and Iran this month threatened to ignite a broader conflict in the Middle East. The 12-day war ended in a ceasefire on June 24.
The move also came as the U.S. bombed Iranian nuclear facilities on June 22. Iran retaliated two days later by firing a barrage of missiles at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, which resulted in no casualties. The base serves as the U.S. command hub for the Middle East.
Thomas Hudner departed the U.S. on Feb. 18 for a scheduled deployment to the U.S. 4th Fleet area of operations, which includes the Caribbean and Central and South America, the Navy said at the time.
Since departing Mayport, Thomas Hudner and its crew have conducted various operations, including exercises and security activities, in the Atlantic, Caribbean, Europe and the Mediterranean, the Navy said.
The ship represented the Navy during the 81st anniversary of the D-Day landings in Normandy this month.
“Thomas Hudner represents the best and the highest standard of our Navy,” Munsch said in the statement.
