US Expands Naval Presence in Spain, Boosting Strategic Capabilities Near Africa

At the NATO summit in Madrid, Joe Biden expressed his interest in strengthening the US military presence in Europe, in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The increase in US ships at the Rota naval base is part of the American geostrategy, especially since this base, located 100 kilometers from Morocco, is the link between America, Europe and Africa on the one hand, and the gateway between the Atlantic and the Alboran Sea on the other.

The US ships have the ability to operate in European and African waters, from the Cape of Good Hope to the Arctic Circle. Military cooperation between the United States and Spain in Rota has existed since 1953. But it was not until December 1988 that the two countries signed a defense agreement. The first four US ships (USS Carney, USS Donald Cook, USS Porter and USS Ross) were deployed to the Rota base as part of the missile defense system that NATO plans to develop at the Lisbon summit in November 2010.

The Rota base covers an area of more than 2,400 hectares, three quays of 2,400 linear meters and a military airfield with a 3,700-meter runway. The arrival of the two new US ships at this base represents an "opportunity" for a municipality, said José Javier Ruiz Arana, the mayor of the city of Cadiz. For his part, the Spanish President, Pedro Sanchez, said he was "particularly satisfied" with this agreement with the US President.