US deploys missile defence destroyer to Europe

The USS Oscar Austin is en route to its new homeport in Rota, Spain, as the Navy expands its destroyer fleet in the region from four to six ships.

The vessel departed from Naval Station Norfolk on September 30 and is the first of two destroyers set to join the Forward Deployed Naval Force-Europe, with another unnamed destroyer expected to arrive in Rota in 2026, Caliber.Az reports, citing foreign media.

"Relocating the Oscar Austin to Rota is a key step in enhancing US and NATO maritime presence and combat readiness in Europe, as well as increasing our capacity to implement the One Atlantic concept," said Adm. Daryl Caudle, commander of US Fleet Forces Command, in a Navy news release last month. "The One Atlantic concept enhances our ability to share and utilize naval forces effectively in response to threats and strategic challenges while conducting multi-mission operations across the Atlantic."

The Navy announced its plans to strengthen its destroyer presence in Rota in 2022. While officials stated that Russian provocations did not initiate this decision, the announcement followed a surge deployment of five East Coast destroyers to the US 6th Fleet earlier that year, aimed at providing additional flexibility and supporting NATO allies. Currently stationed in Rota as part of the Forward Deployed Naval Force-Europe are destroyers Arleigh Burke, Roosevelt, Paul Ignatius, and Bulkeley. 

This force operates throughout European and African waters, ranging from the Cape of Good Hope to the Arctic Circle. The Oscar Austin is named after Private 1st Class Oscar P. Austin, a Medal of Honor and Purple Heart recipient who served in the Vietnam War.

By Naila Huseynova