She was then returned to her homeport of Portsmouth, Virginia, and completed the Basic Training Phase: Engineering Certification, CART II, TSTA I, and III, Cruise Missile Tactical Qualification, Final Evaluation Period (FEP), and Logistics Management Assessment.

[citation needed] Ross completed her Intermediate Training Phase and set sail early in 1999 as part of Carrier Group 8, led by Theodore Roosevelt.

The group sortied for a Joint Task Force Exercise to prepare for an upcoming six-month deployment set to commence on 26 March 1999.

[6] Later in 2005, Ross participated in UNITAS 47-06 in place of the cruiser Thomas S. Gates due to the damage to Pascagoula created by Hurricane Katrina.

Ross enjoyed liberty in Curaçao, St. Maarten, and Rio de Janeiro, while participating in the multi-ship exercise with naval forces from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Spain, and Uruguay.

The crew isolated her flooding and performed de-watering during the remainder of the journey up the Atlantic coast eventually arriving in Norfolk in time for Thanksgiving.

Ross "serves to demonstrate the United States' commitment to strengthening the collective security of NATO allies and partners in the region," the Navy said in a press release.

[9] Russian Federation State media RIA Novosti quoted a military source, which claimed that Ross had acted aggressively and was scared away by the bombers.

[12] On 7 April 2017, Ross and Porter, from their positions in the Eastern Mediterranean, fired a total of 59 Tomahawk missiles at specific military targets at the Shayrat airfield in Syria.

The move follows increased tensions between Russia and the U.S. after American federal prosecutors announced indictments against 13 Russian citizens for their alleged interference in the 2016 U.S. Presidential campaign.

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

The anchor represents the anchorage at Pearl Harbor, which brought the United States into World War II after being attacked 7 December 1941.

The propeller represents Warrant Officer Ross and a Navy Machinist badge signifies the post he held at the time of action.

The inverted silver star stands for his heroism during the attack and the Medal of Honor he received for valor on board the battleship USS Nevada.