May
Another Component of the NATO Missile Shield
The third of the US Navy's Arleigh Burke-class destroyers arrived on Thursday April 30 at Rota NSA in Cadiz, as part of the NATO Missile Shield.
The USS Porter, which departed from Norfolk in March, is equipped with the ballistic missile defense (BMD) system as the USS Donald Cook and the USS Ross, which have been deployed in the Mediterranean and stationed in Rota since last year.
Santiago Bolibar Pineiro, Spanish Navy Fleet Commander, and James Costos, US Ambassador in Spain, hosted the welcoming ceremony. The US ambassador described the deployment as a lasting partnership that serves the common interests of the two countries, which will have a positive economic impact and will serve to share cutting-edge technology and unprecedented interoperability. Both Admiral Bolibar and Ambassador Costos stressed that the establishment of the Shield helps to strengthen bilateral and defense relations between the countries. Admiral Bolíbar has also stressed that "the establishment of the Shield gives Spain the role of "key player" in Europe's ballistic protection".
The USS Carney, fourth of the destroyers to be deployed to Rota, will arrive by fall this year, completing the deployment.