The Virginia class moved closer to a true cruiser while retaining visible destroyer-leader ancestry. Virginia's deployments included NATO's Northern Wedding exercise and service during Desert Shield and Desert Storm in the eastern Mediterranean near Israel, Lebanon, and Syria, where a powerful radar ship had obvious value. She commanded a group including Spruance and the submarines Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. On 22 January 1991, Virginia fired two Tomahawks toward Iraq, the missile's longest combat firing at that time. She also directed launches from Spruance and Pittsburgh, giving the class an operational record beyond its classification history.
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Virginia commanded a Mediterranean Tomahawk group
Virginia's deployments and Desert Storm command role show a nuclear cruiser acting as a radar, strike, and coordination platform.