Starting next week, the United States will increase its permanent military presence in Spain and will strengthen the anti-missile shield of the Atlantic Alliance in Europe. This will be thanks to the arrival at the Rota base of the fifth North American destroyer agreed by the governments of the two countries.
The agreement is the result of meeting between Joe Biden and Pedro Sánchez in Madrid in June 2022, on the sidelines of the NATO summit organized in the capital. They then agreed to increase from four to six the number of American destroyers permanently based at Rota.
The agreement was only signed almost a year later – May 2023 – between the Minister of Defense, Marguerite Roblesand the American ambassador to Spain, Julissa Reynosoand the Council of Ministers gave final approval in June last year.
The first of the ships to arrive in Spain will be the USS Oscar Austin (DDG 79)a US Navy Arleigh Burke-class destroyer with experience of multiple deployments in the Mediterranean, the Persian Gulf, the Negor Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
Rota base will hold ship arrival ceremony next October 16. It is a multi-mission ship capable of defending against anti-submarine, anti-air, anti-surface warfare and against ballistic missiles. You can also assume maritime security missions and other emergency operations.
“The transfer of the USS Oscar Austin’s home port to Rota is the next step towards Strengthening U.S. and NATO maritime presence and combat power in Europeas well as increasing the execution capacity of the One Atlantic concept”, announced in August the Admiral Daryl Caudlecommander of the US Fleet Forces Command.
The US Navy highlighted the importance of this deployment in its lasting relationship with maritime allies in Spain. Furthermore, he noted that “this will enhance operations to support maritime security with allies and partners in Europe and Africa and strengthen the transatlantic bond.”
“The deployment will allow additional coordination between the US and Spanish navies regarding ship maintenance and training. Naval forces operating from Spain maximize flexibility and guarantees access to global strategic scenarios», Underlined the US Navy.
The deployment date, announced months ago, coincides with the conflict in the Middle East. In recent weeks, the United States has announced a strengthening of its military presence in the region to try to deter an extension of the conflict.
The arrival of the new destroyers in Rota caused criticism of parties like Podemosthen within the Government. However, the Executive avoided that the agreement had to go through the Congress of Deputies and be voted on by the parliamentary groups.
