The Defense Department has awarded San Diego’s BAE Systems shipyard nearly $178 million to modernize the destroyer USS Halsey, which returned from an eight month deployment to the Indo-Pacific in mid-August. The 510-foot destroyer, which is capable of carrying more than 90 missiles, spent part of its deployment as a escort ship for the USS Theodore Roosevelt carrier strike group. The Roosevelt is currently en route to San Diego from the Middle East. The new contract represents a boon for BAE, whose workforce has plummeted over the past year due to a shortage of contracts. “Our employees and subcontractor partners will perform underwater hull preservation, refurbish the living spaces onboard, and enhance the ship’s Aegis combat system with the Surface Electronic Warfare Improvement Program (Block 3) – a notable upgrade to the ship’s capabilitie,” said Karl Johnson, a BAE spokesman. “Our work is expected to begin later this month and will continue into 2026.”