Navy Orders Japan-Based Cruiser USS Robert Smalls to Shift Homeport to San Diego

A major homeport change in the Pacific Fleet

The U.S. Navy has directed the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Robert Smalls (CG-62) to depart Yokosuka, Japan, and shift its homeport to San Diego, a move that will end the ship’s role as a permanently forward-deployed cruiser in Japan. The Navy has also ordered the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Mustin (DDG-89) to forward-deploy to Yokosuka to replace the cruiser.

The decision represents a structural change in the surface force mix stationed in Japan. Yokosuka—home to U.S. naval forces positioned for rapid response across the Western Pacific—has traditionally hosted major combatants, including cruisers and destroyers, to support ballistic missile defense, air defense, and multi-domain operations alongside allies and partners.

What changes for San Diego and Yokosuka

For San Diego, the cruiser’s arrival adds another high-end air-defense command-and-control platform to a naval hub that already hosts a large concentration of Pacific Fleet surface combatants. For Yokosuka, replacing a cruiser with a destroyer preserves a forward-deployed presence but changes the capabilities available on a day-to-day basis, given the cruiser’s larger command spaces and long-standing role in integrated air and missile defense tasking.

The homeport change is also a permanent change of station for sailors and their families assigned to the incoming ship, a factor that shapes community planning, school transitions, and housing demand in both Japan and the San Diego region.

Context: a cruiser fleet in transition

The move comes as the Navy continues to draw down the Ticonderoga-class cruiser force and shift mission capacity toward newer ships. Many of the Cold War-era cruisers have been decommissioned in recent years, and remaining hulls are increasingly concentrated in U.S.-based homeports as the class ages.

Separately, the Navy has pursued other Pacific homeport adjustments in the past several years, including moving amphibious ships between Japan and San Diego and returning long-forward-deployed ships to the United States after extended periods overseas. The cruiser decision fits within that broader pattern of reshuffling forces to balance readiness, maintenance capacity, and operational demand.

Key facts at a glance

• Ship moving to San Diego: USS Robert Smalls (CG-62), a Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser.
• Ship moving to Yokosuka: USS Mustin (DDG-89), an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer.
• Operational effect: Yokosuka retains a major surface combatant, while San Diego gains an additional cruiser as the cruiser force becomes more U.S.-based.

The homeport shift is expected to take place on a timeline determined by operational schedules and maintenance requirements, with additional details typically released closer to the execution window.

With the cruiser’s departure, Yokosuka’s surface combatant lineup will continue to evolve as the Navy adapts forward-deployed posture to the demands of Indo-Pacific operations and the realities of sustaining an aging cruiser fleet.