About
Naval Station Rota and its tenant commands are located within the boundaries of the 6,100 acre Spanish “Base Naval de Rota.” Under the guidance of the Agreement for Defense Cooperation, the U.S. and Spanish Navies work together and share many facilities. The U.S. Navy has the responsibility for maintaining the station’s infrastructure, including a 670-acre airfield, three active piers, 426 facilities and 801 family housing units. Cooperative interests between all installation components and unwavering commitment to the Commander, Naval Installations Command Whole Goals Strategic Planning process and the Navy Ashore Vision 2035 have resulted in optimal management of the installation infrastructure. The net impact has been an overall reduction in square footage and significant cost savings for the Department of Defense.
The airfield at NAVSTA Rota is the only 24/7 airfield in the European theater, and provides the Air Force premier en route mobility support for 3 warfighting commands: EUCOM, CENTCOM and AFRICOM.
NAVSTA Rota meets assigned rotational and transient command requirements consistently and efficiently. Air Force Gen. Duncan McNabb, Commander, U.S. Transportation Command, continues to refer to NAVSTA Rota as "the crown jewel of the Defense Transportation System.” The port is a key logistics hub for ships transiting through the SIXTH Fleet AOR deploying to or from C5F. It has several berths available for use, with a CVN-capable pier recently constructed. Rota supports Expeditionary Strike Group turnovers, as well as USN ships in their Africa Partnership Station (APS) operations. This support was key to the success of APS, a multinational effort to improve maritime safety and security in Africa. Additionally, NAVSTA Rota has been instrumental in handling inter-modal operations. This involves the transportation of combat equipment and helicopters from the U.S. to downrange and back with considerable cost savings to the DoD
The installation is a champion with respect to operational and Quality of Life support to Moron Air Base, National Support Elements in Madrid, Lisbon and Valencia and the Military Sealift Command's Maritime Prepositioning Squadrons which frequent the Iberian Peninsula.
More than 4,000 U.S. service and family members employ unparalleled innovation and effort to provide the highest-quality service and support in the European theater. Many of these individuals have been involved in year-round community relations projects, which not only provides supportive efforts towards Host Nation mutual goals but also help foster a positive image of the U.S. forces within Europe
The vision of Naval Station Rota is to continue to excel as an enduring strategically located naval installation providing operational and logistical support to all tenant commands and transiting warfighters. This vision also includes maintaining the highest quality of life for our service members, civilians and the family members who are all instrumental in executing Naval Station Rota's mission. Naval Station Rota will continue to be the best military installation to work and live in the Mediterranean.