The ship is named in honor of Gunnery Sgt. Jimmie E. Howard, USMC, (1929-1993), recipient of the Medal of Honor for his leadership of a platoon against repeated attacks by a battalion-sized Viet Cong force. After receiving severe wounds from an enemy grenade, he distributed ammunition to his men and directed air strikes on the enemy. By dawn, his beleaguered platoon still held their position. Howard also received the Silver Star Medal for service in Korea. A previous Howard (DD 179) (1920-1945), named for Charles W. Howard, a U.S. Navy hero from the Civil War, earned six battle stars in World War II.

June 10, 2003 USS Howard pulled to Portland, Oregon, to participate in the annual Rose Festival.

May 24, 2004 DDG 83 departed San Diego for a scheduled deployment in the eastern and western Pacific for joint and combined operations, with the USS John C. Stennis Carrier Strike Group, in support of the Global War on Terrorism. CSG will head to the Gulf of Alaska to participate in exercise Northern Edge 2004, a joint exercise with the U.S. Air Force and Marine Corps, followed by a goodwill port visit to Victoria, British Columbia.

August 25, USS Howard along with Stennis CSG departed Sasebo, Japan, after a four-day port visit. Soon after departure, CSG will join up with several destroyers from the Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force (JMSDF) to conduct a series of joint, cooperation building exercises.

November 1, USS Howard returned to homeport after spending five months operating in the northern and western Pacific. During the underway period the guided-missile destroyer also visited Port Kelang, Malaysia, Singapore and Fremantle, Australia.

September 19, 2005 DDG 83 is currently conducting routine trainings off the coast of southern California.

July 28, 2006 Sailors and Marines with Expeditionary Strike Group Five successfully completed their COMPTUEX off the coast of southern California. ESG 5 is comprised of a flag staff led by Balmert, Amphibious Squadron 5, the 15th MEU, Boxer, USS Dubuque (LPD 8), USS Comstock (LSD 45), USS Bunker Hill (CG 52), USS Benfold (DDG 65), USS Howard, USCG Midgett (WHEC 726), and HMCS Ottawa (FFH 341). ESG 5 is scheduled next to participate in their Joint Task Force Exercise, their final qualification before deploying later this year.

August 2, USS Howard, commanded by Cmdr. Jim Morgan, hosted a family day cruise where friends and family of crew members experienced being underway at sea.

September 13, DDG 83 departed Naval Station San Diego for a six-month deployment, with the ESG-5, in support of the Global War on Terrorism in western Pacific and Indian Ocean.

October 20, The guided-missile destroyer recently departed Singapore after a scheduled port visit.

November 6, USS Howard pulled into Mumbai, India, for a visit Oct. 31-Nov. 3 for the in-port phase of Exercise Malabar 2006.

March 4, 2007 The Howard arrived in Naval Station Pearl Harbor for a brief port call.

March 13, USS Howard returned to San Diego after a six-month underway period in the Persian Gulf. During deployment the ship made several port visits including Darwin, Australia; Manama, Bahrain; Dubai, United Arab Emirates; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and Guam.

June 7, 2007 DDG 83 pulled to Portland, Ore., to participate in the Fleet Week festivities June 7-10 during the 100th annual Portland Rose Festival.

December 14, USS Howard is currently conducting routine trainings as part of USS Ronald Reagan CSG.

April 14, 2008 The guided-missile destroyer is currently participating in a Joint Task Force Exercise (JTFEX) with the Reagan Carrier Strike Group, off the West coast, in preparation for the upcoming deployment.

May 19, USS Howard departed San Diego for a scheduled deployment.

July 14, DDG 83 pulled to Chinhae, Republic of Korea, for a routine port call.

July 28, The destroyer arrived in Sasebo, Japan, for a scheduled port visit.

August 21, USS Howard trained with the navies of Brunei, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore and the Republic of the Philippines Aug. 17-20 during the Southeast Asia Cooperation Against Terrorism (SEACAT) exercise. Other U.S. ships involved in the exercise include USS Tortuga (LSD 46), USS Ford (FFG 54), USCGC Morgenthau (WHEC 722) and U.S. Military Sealift Command ships USNS Safeguard (T-ARS 50), USNS 1st Lt. Baldomero Lopez (T-AK 3010) and MV Cpl. Louis J. Hauge, Jr. (T-AK 3000).

September 28, The Howard is currently in the Indian Ocean monitoring the situation with Belize-flagged cargo ship MV Faina, captured Sept. 25, which is anchored off the Somalia coast near the harbor city of Hobyo. Motor Vessel Faina is owned and operated by "Kaalybe Shipping Ukraine" and is carrying a cargo of T-72 tanks and related equipment. Two other pirated vessels, MV Capt Stefanos and MV Centauri, are also anchored at this location.

November 25, USS Howard returned to homeport after a six-month underway period.

May 5, 2009 Cmdr. William S. Switzer relieved Cmdr. Curtis Goodnight as CO of the DDG 83 during a change-of-command ceremony at Naval Base San Diego.

May 27, The Howard departed San Diego for a western Pacific deployment, as part of USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) CSG.

October 21, USS Howard returned home after a five-month deployment.

March 17, 2011 Cmdr. Andree E. Bergmann relieved Cmdr. William S. Switzer as CO of the Howard during a change-of-command ceremony on board the ship at San Diego.

May 11, The guided-missile destroyer arrived in Thailand to participate in the first phase of Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) exercise.

May 25, The Howard arrived in Jakarta, Indonesia, for the second phase of CARAT.

June 7, USS Howard recently arrived in Kuantan, Malaysia, for the next phase of Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training.

June 28, DDG 83 arrived in Puerto Princesa, Republic of the Philippines, for the fourth phase of CARAT exercise.

October 28, USS Howard returned to Naval Base San Diego after a seven-month deployment in the U.S. 5th and 7th Fleet Areas of Responsibility.