Following plane guard duties and type training exercises off the Atlantic Coast, McCard participated in a midshipman cruise in June and July 1958, calling at Portuguese, Danish and Belgian ports.

In July she proceeded through the Suez Canal and reported to Commander, Middle East Force, for a six-week patrol of the Red Sea and Persian Gulf area.

Following plane guard duties and type training exercises, Robert H. McCard underwent Fleet Rehabilitation and Modernization (FRAM I) overhaul at Boston.

Under FRAM I, McCard was completely torn down and rebuilt from the hull up, including new engines, a much larger combat information center, and a new sonar and radar systems.

Following further operations off the Atlantic Coast and an overhaul period, Robert H. McCard underwent refresher training off Guantanamo Bay then conducted two midshipman cruises, the latter taking her to Wilhelmshaven, Germany.

Operating in the western Atlantic, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Caribbean until 5 November, Robert H. McCard then transited the Panama Canal and joined the Pacific Fleet.

In January and February 1968, she was on plane guard duty for Coral Sea (CV-43) in the Tonkin Gulf, participating in an emergency search and rescue mission on the east coast of Hainan Island.

Robert H. McCard entered NAVSTA Charleston on 6 September 1972 for a six-month overhaul, at the completion of which she returned to normal operations in the western Atlantic and Caribbean.