Porter launched Tomahawk missiles during the Dora Farms and Shock and Awe stages of the Iraq War.

[8] In August 2010, Porter and the United States Coast Guard buoy tender USCGC Alder participated in Operation Nanook 2010 in Baffin Bay and the Davis Straits.

[15][16] On 12 October 2012, Porter rejoined Carrier Strike Group 12 for its transit through the Suez Canal following temporary repairs to the ship costing $700,000.

[20] In 2016, four destroyers patrolling with the U.S. 6th Fleet based in Naval Station Rota, Spain, including Porter received self-protection upgrades, replacing the aft Phalanx CIWS 20mm Vulcan cannon with the SeaRAM 11-cell RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile launcher.

[21][22] On 7 April 2017, a total of 59 Tomahawk missiles were fired by Porter and Ross at military targets at Shayrat Airbase in Homs, Syria, from their positions in the eastern Mediterranean.

The missile strike was in response to the Khan Shaykhun chemical attack on 4 April 2017, which the U.S. government said was launched by the Syrian regime from Shayrat.

[28] On 28 September 2022, Porter departed Naval Station Rota for the last time as part of a homeport shift of the Rota-based destroyers.

In October 2022, the Navy announced that Porter arrived at Norfolk after 7 years serving as a Forward-Deployed Naval Forces-Europe (FDNF-E) destroyer.

The shield's quartered division recalling previous Porter's while underlining the US Navy's worldwide mission and the four cardinal compass points.

The motto is a reference to the principles upon which the United States of America was founded and the honorable feats of Admiral Porter.