Naval Station Rota, also known as NAVSTA Rota (), is a Spanish naval base, that is jointly used by the Spanish Navy and the United States Navy. Located in Rota in the Province of Cádiz, NAVSTA Rota is the largest American military community in Spain, housing U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps personnel. There are also small U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force contingents on the base.

History

The construction of the Rota Naval Base was carried out in the 19th century, being the base of the Headquarters of the Spanish Fleet.

U.S. agreement with Francoist dictatorship

left|thumb|[[United States Air Force|U.S. Air Force Boeing C-135B-BN Stratolifter on the Rota's Airfield circa mid-1960s]]

NAVSTA Rota has been in use by the U.S, since 1953, when Spanish dictator Francisco Franco strengthened relations with the United States as a move to relax international sanctions imposed by the United Nations since 1945. The installation now covers more than on the northern shore of Cadiz, an area recognized for its strategic, maritime importance over the centuries.

left|thumb|The [[Spanish Navy aircraft carrier (ex ) tied up at a pier at Naval Station Rota in 1976]]

Polaris submarines

During the Cold War, Rota became an advanced base for SSBN submarines of the U.S. Navy, which was very important as the Soviet Union was in range of Polaris missiles launched from Rota. The Chief of Naval Operations deployed Submarine Squadron 16 (SUBRON 16) to Rota on 28 January 1964 and embarked upon . completed its first Fleet Ballistic Missile (FBM) deterrent patrol with the Polaris missile and commenced the first refit and replenishment at Rota. During the early 1970s, the submarines assigned to SUBRON 16 were completing conversion to the Poseidon missile. That transition was completed when returned to Rota on 14 January 1974. Treaty negotiations between Spain and the United States in 1975 resulted in a planned withdrawal of SUBRON 16 from Spain, and the Chief of Naval Operations ordered studies to select a new refit site on the East Coast of the United States. The U.S. Senate ratified the treaty in June 1976; it called for the squadron's withdrawal from Spain by July 1979. In November 1976 the Secretary of the Navy announced Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay, Georgia as that new refit site. VR-22 flew the C-130F and was based at Rota from 1962 until its inactivation in 1993. Through the early 1990s, a patrol squadron of P-3B and later P-3C aircraft from U.S. Navy patrol squadrons based in the United States would also be forward deployed, split-based between NAVSTA Rota and Naval Air Facility Lajes at Lajes Air Base in the Azores to track Soviet naval vessels and submarines in the Atlantic Ocean and in the Mediterranean Sea.

When Soviet surface and submarine naval deployments to the Mediterranean increased throughout the 1970s and early 1980s, NAVSTA Rota enabled maritime patrol aircraft to conduct continuous surveillance and tracking of Soviet ships before, during, and after their transit through the Strait of Gibraltar. Data was then forwarded to United States Sixth Fleet Headquarters, providing also critical intelligence regarding Soviet ships' acoustic signatures, operating characteristics, and warfighting capabilities. NAVSTA Rota staff's role as guardians of Sixth Fleet's front door earned them the moniker Gatekeepers of the Med. With the collapse of the Soviet Union, focus shifted to adapt to the new missions of Sixth Fleet.

During the Cold War the patrol squadrons would rotate deployment assignment to Rota and Lajes every six months and were augmented by Naval Air Reserve patrol squadrons for shorter durations on a periodic basis.

thumb|left|Spanish and American ships moored at the docks of the Rota base in 1981

End of Cold War

With the downsizing of the U.S. Navy during the late 1980s and early 1990s, especially after the end of the Cold War, the base's population dramatically declined. The U.S. Navy maintains approximately of the complex. There are about 4,000 Americans in Rota, including military, civilians, and their families.

Antimissile Shield

On October 5, 2011, U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta announced that the U.S. Navy will station four Aegis warships at Rota to strengthen its presence in the Mediterranean Sea and bolster the missile defense of NATO as part of the European Phased Adaptive Approach (EPAA). As of 2015, four U.S. destroyers, including , , , and are permanently forward-deployed to Naval Station Rota as part of the Missile Defense System.

In 2021 the base temporarily hosted thousands of Afghan refugees transported by the 2021 Kabul airlift. One of the agreements that emerged from the 2022 NATO Madrid summit was to expand the U.S. destroyers stationed at the base from 4 to 6 and 600 more troops. The extension agreement was signed in May 2023.

Overview

thumb|273x273px|Eight [[Lockheed C-5 Galaxy|C-5 Galaxy aircraft at Rota]]

thumb|271x271px| at Rota

thumb|271x271px|The joint US-Spanish Color Guard aboard Naval Station, Rota, parades the colors during the Change of Command and Marine Corps Security Force Europe.

thumb|The Naval Base is depicted in grey|262x262px

thumb|271x271px|A US Marine from unloads a [[M1 Abrams|M1A1 Abrams main battle tank from a Landing Craft Air Cushion at Naval Station Rota]]

Naval Station Rota is home to an airfield and a seaport; the airfield has often caused the base to be misidentified as "Naval Air Station Rota". The base is the headquarters for Commander, U.S. Naval Activities Spain (COMNAVACTSPAIN), as well as a primary gateway for Air Mobility Command flights into Europe.

Naval Station Rota is strategically located near the Strait of Gibraltar and at the halfway point between the United States and Southwest Asia. Because of this ideal location, the base is able to provide invaluable support to both US Sixth Fleet units in the Mediterranean and to USAF Air Mobility Command units transiting to Germany and Southwest Asia. The Base and its tenant commands are located within the boundaries of the Spanish "Base Naval de Rota". Under the guidance of the Agreement for Defense Cooperation, the US and Spanish navies work together and share many facilities. The US Navy has the responsibility for maintaining the station's infrastructure, including a airfield, three active piers, 426 facilities and 806 family housing units.

Occupants

The base is used jointly by Spain and the United States. It remains under the Spanish flag and is commanded by a Spanish Vice Admiral. While the Spanish Navy is responsible for external security of the base, both Navies are charged with internal security. NAVSTA Rota is technically a tenant facility of the Rota Spanish Navy base. As a result, certain US military customs are not observed, such as the display of a US Flag, which is only allowed during the annual Fourth of July celebration or occasionally at half mast as a mark of respect with the ad-hoc permission of the Spanish Admiral.

Spanish Navy

This Base houses the Fleet Headquarters and the Naval Action Force, as well as the main operational units of the Navy: Naval Action Group 2, Aircraft Flotilla, 41st Escort Squadron.

Deployed ships

  • Naval Action Force
  • Naval Action Group 2
  • Juan Carlos I
  • Galicia
  • Castilla
  • Naval Action Group 1
  • 41st Escort Squadron
  • Santa María
  • Victoria
  • Numancia
  • Reina Sofía
  • Navarra
  • Canarias

U.S. Navy

Naval Station Rota provides support for U.S. and NATO ships; supports the safe and efficient movement of U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force flights and passengers; and provides cargo, fuel, and ammunition to units in the region. The Naval Station is the only base in the Mediterranean capable of supporting Amphibious Readiness Group post-deployment wash-downs. The base port also offers secure, pier-side maintenance and back-load facilities. Rota supports Amphibious Readiness Group turnovers and hosts Sailors and Marines from visiting afloat units. The base also provides Quality of Life support to Morón Air Base, ARG support sites at Palma de Majorca, NATO headquarters in Madrid and the Military Sealift Command's Maritime Prepositioning Squadron 1.

The mission of U.S. Forces at Rota, as well as other U.S. Navy installations in the Mediterranean such as NAS Sigonella and Souda Air Base is to provide Command, Control and Logistics Support to US and NATO Operating Forces. These three facilities are undergoing a transformation from Maritime Patrol Aircraft airfields to multi-role "hubs" providing crucial air-links for USAF strategic airlift and mobility in support of US European Command (EUCOM), Central Command (CENTCOM) and African Area contingency operations under CENTCOM, EUCOM and the evolving Africa Command (AFRICOM).

  • (since 2021)
  • (since 2022)
  • (since 2022)
  • (since 2024)
  • United States Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit Eight
  • Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron Seven Nine (HSM-79) "Griffins", Flying the Sikorsky MH-60R Seahawk

Former Commands and Forward-deployed ships

  • (until 2020)
  • (until 2022)
  • (until 2023)
  • (until 2020)

Operational Headquarters for the EU Naval Force

The Operational Headquarters (OHQ) for the EU Naval Force moved from Northwood, UK to Rota and to Brest, France on 29 March 2019. EU's Operation Atalanta is commanded from Naval Station Rota.

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File:USS Ross (DDG 71) Conducting Naval Operations 170329-N-FQ994-073.jpg| Conducting Naval Operations

File:Ship LPD-Castilla-(L52).jpg|Galicia-class Castilla of the Spanish Navy based at Rota

File:US Navy 111121-N-TM034-133 Vice Chief of Naval Operations (VCNO) Adm. Mark Ferguson, center, meets with Spanish navy rear admirals.jpg|(VCNO) Adm. Mark Ferguson, center, meets with Spanish navy Vice Adm. Juan Rodriguez-Garat, left, and Spanish navy Rear Adm. Juan Ruiz-Casas at Naval Station Rota

File:26th MEU Wash Down at Naval Station Rota, Spain 131019-M-SO289-014.jpg|The USMC's 26th MEU at Naval Station Rota ()

File:President Barack Obama is greeted by U.S. and Spanish service members along with their families during his visit to Naval Station Rota (28191347486).jpg|U.S. President Barack Obama during his official visit to Naval Station Rota in 2016.

</gallery>

See also

  • US Naval Advance Bases
  • Morón Air Base

References

  • Base Naval de Rota. Spanish Navy Website
  • U.S. Naval Station Rota, Spain website

Video links