The U.S. Navy Arleigh Burke class guided missile destroyer USS John Basilone (DDG-122) arrived at Naval Station Rota, Spain, on October 14, completing its homeport shift from Naval Station Mayport, Florida.

Basilone is the sixth destroyer homeported at Rota, completing a planned expansion from four forward deployed destroyers in Spain. USS Oscar Austin arrived in 2024 as the first of the two additional ships. Basilone joins Destroyer Squadron 60 under Commander, Task Force 65, supporting U.S. 6th Fleet.

Naval Station Rota gives U.S., NATO and allied forces a hub for operations across Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Rota based destroyers have defended Israel against Iranian missiles and protected commercial ships from Houthi attacks in the Red Sea.