USS "Mahan"s SRA ended on 29 February 2012, which was immediately followed by a light-off assessment and sea trials. The ship went through four Continuous Maintenance Availabilities (CMAVs) in April, June, September, and November. Following a command investigation, 13 "Mahan" sailors were awarded non-judicial punishment for illegal drug use during a captain's mast on 4 April 2012. On 10 April 2012, "Mahan" hosted a retired Chief Sonar Technician. In June and July, "Mahan" hosted midshipmen from the United States Naval Academy and Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps as part of Cortramid. In October, "Mahan" was evaluated by the Board of Inspection and Survey as part of a regularly scheduled inspection. Not only was "Mahan" the first ship to successfully demonstrate Ballistic Missile Defense during the inspection, the ship also achieved the highest score for a destroyer in several years. Later in October, "Mahan" was the host ship for the United States Naval Academy Homecoming Weekend in Annapolis, Maryland. The ship completed Independent Deployer Certification Exercise (IDCERTEX) in December in preparation for her upcoming deployment.