April - November 2001, USS McFaul deployed to Arabian Gulf with the USS Enterprise Battle Group, in support of operations Southern Watch and Enduring Freedom.

April 28, 2002 DDG 74 pulled to Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., to participate in the 2002 Fleet Week/Air and Sea Show.

September 16, 2003 Commander, 2nd Fleet ordered ships based in Hampton Roads, 34 total, including USS McFaul, to get underway to avoid potential damage to ships and piers from anticipated hurricane force winds and high tidal surges. Ships currently underway will stay out to sea until Hurricane Isabel passes.

Febryary 17, 2004 USS McFaul departed Norfolk, as part of the USS Wasp (LHD 1) Expeditionary Strike Group Two, (ESG-2), in support of the Global War on Terrorism.

August 15, McFaul returned to homeport after a six-month deployment in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom and Maritime Interdiction Operations. She also made port calls to Taranto and Trieste, Italy.

June 6, 2005 The guided-missile destroyer departed Clyde Naval Base in Faslane, Scotland. DDG 74 is currently participating in the Joint Maritime Course, a multinational NATO exercise being conducted off the coast of Scotland.

August 24, USS McFaul returned to Naval Station Norfolk following a collision with USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG 81) Aug. 22 while conducting exercises off the coast of Jacksonville, Fla. Damage to the Churchill included a 5x10 foot hole on the port side helo hangar, a damaged antenna, and a hydraulic leak in the helo hangar. The McFaul sustained light damage to its starboard side bow. There were no personnel casualties or flooding on either ship. The collision occurred while the ships were preparing for deployment and conducting a training event that required aggressive ship-handling and high speed, close quarters tactical maneuvering.

December 1, DDG 74 pulled to Philadelphia, Pa., as part of Philadelphia Navy Week, sponsored by the Navy Office of Comunity Outreach.

February 6, 2006 USS McFaul is currently in the Atlantic Ocean conducting trainings, as part of USS Enterprise (CVN 65) Carrier Strike Group, in preparation for the upcoming spring deployment.

February 18, One-hundred sixty-eight family members and friends hopped aboard the McFaul, Feb. 17, for an 11-hour voyage from Norfolk to Baltimore for a Friends and Family Cruise, as part of U.S. Navy Fleet Week.

May 2, DDG 74 departed Naval Station Norfolk for a scheduled deployment in support of the Global War on Terrorism. It transited the Suez Canal on 29th.

June 21, Cmdr. Mary Jackson relieved Cmdr. Sean Connors as CO of USS McFaul, during the change of command ceremony held aboard the ship in the Persian Gulf.

November 14, USS McFaul returned to Norfolk after more than six-month deployment in support of the global war on terrorism and Maritime Security Operations (MSO).

July 27, 2007 More than 15,000 service members from three countries and 23 U.S. Navy ships, including DDG 74, will participate in Joint Task Force Exercise (JTFEX) 07-2 "Operation Bold Step", July 26-31 off the U.S. coast from the waters of Virginia to Florida.

September 4, USS McFaul departed homeport to participate in exercise Neptune Warrior 07-2 from Sept. 17-29, off the coast of Scotland, with naval forces from Denmark, France, Germany, New Zealand, Norway, Spain and United Kingdom.

July 8, 2008 USS McFaul, commanded by Cmdr. Timothy Schorr, pulled to Souda Bay, Crete, for a brief port visit. The guided-missile destroyer is on a scheduled deployment since May 26 to the 6th Fleet area of responsibility and will support theater security cooperation by participating in regional exercises with allies, making deplomatic port calls and responding to any contingency.

July 14, DDG 74 recently arrived in Odessa to participate in Exercise Sea Breeze. Over 1,000 service members from 15 countries will take part in airborne and amphibious exercises under the auspices of NATO`s Partnership for Peace programme, with most participants coming from the United States and Ukraine. The exercise will be held until July 26. Fifteen Ukrainian ships, four aircraft, ten helicopters and 500 service personnel will take part in the military exercises.

August 11, The McFaul arrived in Souda Bay, Crete, Greece, for a routine port call.

August 24, USS McFaul pulled to Batumi, Republic of Georgia, to deliver 82 pallets with about 155,000 pounds of supplies donated by the U.S. Agency for International Development, including hygiene items, baby food and care supplies, bottled water, and milk. The guided-missile destroyer departed Souda Bay Aug. 20 as part of the humanitarian assistance for the Republic of Georgia following the conflict between Russian and Georgian forces.

September 13, DDG 74 passed again through the Turkish Straits to participate in Exercise Jackal Stone, in the Black Sea, involving seven countries from Sep. 16-24.

November 6, USS McFaul returned to Naval Station Norfolk after more than five-month underway period.

January 2, 2010 The McFaul, commanded by Cmdr. Ronald W. Toland Jr., departed homeport for a scheduled deployment, in the U.S. 5th Fleet Area of Responsibility (AoR), as part of USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) CSG.

March 25, USS McFaul rescued 30 men, women and children who were stranded aboard a skiff, with no food and little water for four days, about 100 miles off the coast of northern Somalia.

April 5, DDG 74 captured ten suspected pirates and rescued eight crew members from the pirated Indian cargo dhow Faize Osamani, near Salalah, Oman, after the dhow and three skiffs attempted to attack the Motor Vessel (M/V) Rising Sun.

July 8, The McFaul arrived in Koper, Slovenia, for a four-day port visit.

August 3, USS McFaul returned to Norfolk after a seven-month deployment in support of counter-piracy and maritime security operations.

October 1, The guided-missile destroyer pulled into Mobile, Ala., for a four-day port visit to participate in the annual BayFest celebration.

July 15, 2011 USS McFaul, commanded by Cmdr. Daniel J. Gillen, departed homeport for a Friends and Family Day Cruise.

January 23, 2012 The McFaul is currently underway supporting the Enterprise Carrier Strike Group’s COMPTUEX as part of the opposition force.