WASHINGTON, December 9 (Sputnik) – US expansion of its Rota naval base in Spain will not change the balance of power in the region, Senior Naval Analyst Christopher Harmer from the Institute for the Study of War has told Sputnik.
"It won't really change the balance of power in the region; the US is expanding the base at Rota within the context of the existing NATO alliance. The US is the single most powerful military force in the Mediterranean, and this expansion will reinforce that, but not change it," Harmer said.
The real drivers behind this decision include fulfilling the 2010 NATO agreement to increase security protection in Europe, he explained. But even more importantly, according to Harmer, is the recent decision by the United States to "increase US strategic engagement on the west coast of Africa".
"Rota is perfectly positioned as a 'flex base' that can support US operations in the Mediterranean as well as the west coast of Africa," the analyst said.
He also said that this move from the United States was not a reason for concern to Russia.
"I can't imagine that Russian leadership is that concerned about what the US is doing in Rota [Spain]," Harmer said, adding that doubling the size of the current fleet in Rota with the addition of two more American warships next year will not alter the regional dynamics.
The US ships at Rota, which are hosted by the Spanish Navy, are equipped with ballistic missiles defense systems, whose primary role is to guard against an attack on NATO allies from the Middle East, according to Department of Defense.
Russia-NATO relations have deteriorated in light of the crisis in Ukraine, with the alliance accusing Moscow of interfering in Ukraine's internal affairs, which Russia has repeatedly denied.
Following Crimea's reunification with Russia in March, NATO increased its military presence in Poland, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, suspending all practical cooperation with Russia. Moscow has repeatedly expressed concern over the bloc's expansion in Eastern Europe and the increase in its military presence close to Russian borders.
