Columbus deployed to the Western Pacific in late 1995 through early 1996 and conducted a variety of operations as a unit of the Seventh Fleet along the way making port visits in Hong Kong, Subic Bay, Guam, and Yokosuka, Japan.

[7] Two successful test launches of Tactical Tomahawk (Block IV) cruise missiles were conducted in late May 2003 from Columbus, while underway in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Southern California.

[8] Columbus departed Pearl Harbor for another western Pacific deployment in late 2003,[9] and visited Jinhae-gu, South Korea, Singapore, and Japan while taking part in Annual-Ex 2003, an exercise with various units of the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force.

Columbus supported national taskings and theater security cooperation efforts while making port visits in Saipan, Guam, Okinawa, Sasebo, and Yokosuka, Japan.

[16] Columbus returned to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, in August 2012 after completing a six-month deployment that included Seventh Fleet and national mission tasking along with port visits to Japan, South Korea, and Guam.