US Navy Sees Expansion of Fleet in Spain by Aegis Destroyers

MOSCOW, December 9 (Sputnik), Alexander Mosesov — The United States Naval Forces in Europe told Sputnik News Agency Tuesday it sees the deployment of two additional Aegis destroyers in Spain in 2015 as a 'significant deterrent'.

On Sunday, US Department of Defense (DoD) said up to 3,000 US citizens, including servicemen and family members, will arrive to Naval Station Rota in Spain in addition to those already at the base. The DoD article reminded that two Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) system-equipped destroyers, USS Porter and USS Carney, will arrive to the base in 2015 to join the first two, USS Donald Cook and USS Ross.

"Stationing these [Aegis-equipped] naval assets in Spain places them in a position to maximize their operational flexibility for missions in the Atlantic and Mediterranean and allows these ships to operate forward and have access to the strategic crossroads. It also allows a rapid response to any crisis, which in itself, is a significant deterrent," US Naval Forces Europe, the navy component of United States European Command, told Sputnik.

"These multi-mission US Navy ships will perform a myriad of tasks, including NATO ballistic missile defense, the full spectrum of maritime security operations, bilateral and multilateral training exercises," US Naval Forces Europe added.

On Monday, Senior Naval Analyst Christopher Harmer from the Institute for the Study of War told Sputnik that doubling the size of the current fleet in Rota with two more warships will not alter the regional dynamics. The deployment of Aegis destroyers, however, will contribute to the strengthening of NATO missile defense system.

The US missile defense system in Europe, which NATO and the United States say is aimed at countering threats from North Korea and Iran, has been a particular source of friction in US-Russian relations for a number of years.