The ship's first assignment was to deliver three Air Cushioned Landing Craft (LCAC) to Camp Pendleton, California from Panama City, Florida.

The largest military humanitarian operation in history, Restore Hope was designed to provide food and medical relief to the starving people of Somalia.

She deployed with only four weeks' notice and participated in Operation Support Hope off the coast of Mombasa, Kenya, the USLO relocation in Somalia, and exercises with forces of Oman and the United Arab Emirates.

Rushmore demonstrated its superior adaptability throughout deployment by becoming the first LSD-41-class ship to employ Rigid Hull Inflatable Boats (RHIBs) for the SPECWAR Detachment.

Rushmore participated in CARAT 2001 in cooperation with other navies in the Western Pacific, South China Sea and Southeast Asia.

Returning home just days prior to the September 11 attacks, Rushmore began preparations to deploy to areas of national security interests.

The ship set sail in December 2002 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom as part of the Tarawa Amphibious Ready Group (ARG).

The ship deployed on 6 December 2004 once again in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom as part of the Bonhomme Richard Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG 5).

The ship completed a three-month maintenance period and participated in Exercise Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) off the coast of Hawaii from June to August 2006.

On 1 December 2007, Rushmore became the first ship since the September 11 terrorist attacks to host a United States Navy open house while inport Seal Beach, California.

[citation needed] Rushmore certified in ULTRA-C in May 2008 and sailed up to Seattle, Washington, to take part in the Centennial Celebration of the Great White Fleet on 22 May.

In late September 2008, Rushmore sailed to Esquimalt, British Columbia, Canada, to serve as the test platform for developing ASW systems in the Nanoose Firing Range.

In June 2015, Rushmore made news for rescuing 65 people who were stranded on a makeshift raft in the Makassar Strait after their ferry capsized.