USS Carney reaches the Naval base Rota

NATO leaders decided in 2010 to develop a NATO Missile Defence capability to keep European Allies safe from the increasing threat posed by missile proliferation.

The first three ships to arrive in Rota, in the south of Spain, were the USS Donald Cook, USS Ross and USS Porter, now all operating in European waters. Naval Station Rota provides a perfect strategic enclave, with access to the Mediterranean, the Strait of Gibraltar and the Atlantic.

The reception committee for this fourth destroyer included representatives from Spanish and US naval forces, along with the families of the ship’s crew.