Pekari says the strategic value of the BMD ships to NATO and Europe cannot be emphasized enough. But, he says, they also provide the opportunity to work with allies and partner nations with joint exercises and for maritime security cooperation. And their presence has strengthened the bond between the U.S. and Spain.
“We have an opportunity to work on mutual training, and even maintenance opportunities. And those are what we’ve been discussing, like the intermediate maintenance facility here on base, ISEMER. They’re working hard to see what we can leverage from them and vice versa. For example, perhaps we can leverage their firefighting training instead of having to send our folks back to the States.
The guided-missile destroyer USS Donald Cook (DDG 75) conducts flight quarters with a Royal Navy Lynx helicopter in the Mediterranean Sea. Donald Cook, forward-deployed to Rota, Spain, is conducting naval operations in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of responsibility in support of U.S. national security interests in Europe. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Karolina A. Oseguera
The base has worked hard to make it easy for sailors and their families to move to Spain. “We had a sponsorship program in place for the first three ships, and we’ll do the same thing for Carney when she’s getting ready to come over,” says Pekari. “We’re working on a spouse-to-spouse sponsor program to try to line up spouses here with those on the ship to help them with questions about the transition. We also have a great “Welcome to Rota” web site with over 200 questions and answers. We also have an outreach program where we’ll go to the homeport – Norfolk or Mayport – with representatives from the base. We bring folks from housing, MWR, and transportation, to the ships to present our information and have a question and answer session for the sailors and dependents, to alleviate a lot of their concerns and fears about the transition to Rota. We want to make it as easy as possible.”
Pekari says sailors who get assigned to the base will work hard. “It’s a shore duty, but they know we’re supporting the fleet, the war fighter, and the families.”
There is housing on base, but many families live off base in communities like Rota, El Puerto de Santa Maria, and Chipiona. Because of the current economic situation, there are many beautiful and affordable homes and apartments available for rent, Pekari says, many on or near the beach.
Pekari says sailors who get assigned to the base will work hard. “It’s a shore duty, but they know we’re supporting the fleet, the war fighter, and the families.”
Supporting the ships is a team effort, Pekari says. “The fantastic thing about this base is that we have 35-plus tenant commands, but the leadership communicates with each other, and they do it ahead of time. We’ve always had ships coming through, but not permanently stationed where you’re now doing intermediate maintenance on them. So we’re going through some small growing pains, but the communication has always been there, and they work through whatever challenges they need to work through to get the job done, and to do it safely.
“When I talk about Rota leadership, it’s not just the officers. It’s also about the senior enlisted. There’s a chief petty officers’ mess that spans all the tenant organizations here, and some of the ship’s senior enlisted participate. So when you have your senior enlisted working together to achieve the same mission, and to take care of our junior sailors and our families, that goes a long way,” Pekari says.
High OPTEMPO
“Ships are challenged when they come here,” says Capt. Jim Aiken, commander of Destroyer Squadron 60. The ships are doing complex operations at a high OPTEMPO. They may be doing an ASW exercise one day; working with the French aircraft carrier the next day; and then doing a theater security cooperation exchange the following day.