Trump Threatens to Move US Military Bases from Spain to Morocco

Donald Trump has warned NATO countries that do not allocate at least 2% of their GDP to defense that they will not have the support of the United States in the event of armed conflict. Spain, concerned in more than one way, fears a withdrawal of US air bases from its territory and their transfer to Morocco, reports La Razon. The Moron de la Frontera base is one of the four bases installed in the country in 1953 following the Madrid Pact between Franco and Eisenhower. The situation at this base is worrying in view of the successive layoffs of Spanish employees since 2010. More than 400 Spaniards working on this base have been laid off and replaced by American professionals or military personnel, denounces the works council of the Moron base.

"In 2010, the ratio was 1 American employee for 10 Spaniards and today it is 3 for 1," the committee states, deploring the "total lack of protection of personnel" who are not attached to the Ministry of Defense. "The ideal is that we prepare the ground in case Trump takes the bases to Morocco or closes them given their unpredictability, so that the workers are not left high and dry," the Committee recommends.

The ship "Oscar Austin" which recently docked at pier number 1 of the Rota naval base is proof of the renewed commitment of the US Navy to Spain in order to improve maritime security operations with its allies in Europe and Africa. With Rota, it is "70 years of peaceful coexistence," says the mayor of Rota, Javier Ruiz Arana, noting that uncertainty is gaining hearts regarding the future of this base since the return of Donald Trump to the White House.

"I think we need to be cautious in the face of a climate of rumors," says the spokesman for the Confederation of Employers of Cadiz, who hopes that the ongoing diplomatic actions will bear fruit. The base "has been in Rota since 1953 and, throughout this time, with the different American administrations, there have been many rumors about its future" which "more than once, have reported its transfer to Morocco," recalls Encarna Niño, first deputy mayor of Rota, noting an increase in the number of ships and troops at the base and announcing investments of around $300 million for the extension of the docks.