Leahy served as a modernized command ship

Leahy's early service combined Caribbean workups, flagship duty, Sixth Fleet carrier operations, and repeated Mediterranean exercises. The ship entered a new-threat modernization from roughly 1986 to 1988, then needed additional workup time before returning to demanding assignments. In the early 1990s she helped direct United Nations relief flights into Mogadishu, served during Operation Desert Storm, and supported the no-fly zone over southern Iraq. Her 1993 Battle E award shows that an older conventional cruiser could still provide command and air-warfare value after a major combat-system update.