NAVAL STATION ROTA, Spain – (Dec. 20, 2024) Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro greets Sailors from the Arleigh Burke class guided-missile destroyer USS Bulkeley (DDG 84) after their homecoming ceremony on Naval Station Rota, Spain Dec. 20, 2024. As the "Gateway to the Mediterranean,” NAVSTA Rota provides U.S. NATO and allied forces a strategic hub for operations in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. NAVSTA Rota is a force multiplier, capable of promptly deploying and supporting combat-ready forces through land, air and sea, enabling warfighters and their families, sustaining the fleet and fostering the U.S. and Spanish partnership. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communications Specialist Petty Officer 2nd Class Jonathan P. Nye)

NAVAL STATION ROTA, Spain – (Dec. 20, 2024) Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro greets Sailors from the Arleigh Burke class guided-missile destroyer USS Bulkeley (DDG 84) after their homecoming ceremony on Naval Station Rota, Spain Dec. 20, 2024. As the "Gateway to the Mediterranean,” NAVSTA Rota provides U.S. NATO and allied forces a strategic hub for operations in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. NAVSTA Rota is a force multiplier, capable of promptly deploying and supporting combat-ready forces through land, air and sea, enabling warfighters and their families, sustaining the fleet and fostering the U.S. and Spanish partnership. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communications Specialist Petty Officer 2nd Class Jonathan P. Nye)

NAVAL STATION ROTA, Spain (Dec. 20, 2024) Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro meets with Sailors from Arleigh Burke class guided-missile destroyer USS Bulkeley (DDG 84) and their families during their return to Naval Station Rota, Spain Dec. 20, 2024. As the "Gateway to the Mediterranean,” NAVSTA Rota provides U.S. NATO and allied forces a strategic hub for operations in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. NAVSTA Rota is a force multiplier, capable of promptly deploying and supporting combat-ready forces through land, air and sea, enabling warfighters and their families, sustaining the fleet and fostering the U.S. and Spanish partnership. (U.S. Navy photo by Interior Communications Electrician 2nd Class Marlin Dominguez)

The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Bulkeley (DDG 84) returned to Rota, Spain, Dec. 20, 2023, after a five-and-a-half-month patrol in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations. As the "Gateway to the Mediterranean," NAVSTA Rota provides U.S., NATO and allied forces a strategic hub for operations in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. NAVSTA Rota is a force multiplier, capable of promptly deploying and supporting combat ready forces through land, air and sea, enabling warfighters and their families, sustaining the fleet and fostering the U.S. and Spanish partnership (U.S. Navy photo by Interior Communications Electrician 2nd Class Marlin Dominguez)

The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Bulkeley (DDG 84) returned to Rota, Spain, Dec. 20, 2023, after a five-and-a-half-month patrol in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations. As the "Gateway to the Mediterranean," NAVSTA Rota provides U.S., NATO and allied forces a strategic hub for operations in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. NAVSTA Rota is a force multiplier, capable of promptly deploying and supporting combat ready forces through land, air and sea, enabling warfighters and their families, sustaining the fleet and fostering the U.S. and Spanish partnership (U.S. Navy photo by Interior Communications Electrician 2nd Class Marlin Dominguez)

The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Bulkeley (DDG 84) returned to Rota, Spain, Dec. 20, 2023, after a five-and-a-half-month patrol in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations. As the "Gateway to the Mediterranean," NAVSTA Rota provides U.S., NATO and allied forces a strategic hub for operations in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. NAVSTA Rota is a force multiplier, capable of promptly deploying and supporting combat ready forces through land, air and sea, enabling warfighters and their families, sustaining the fleet and fostering the U.S. and Spanish partnership (U.S. Navy photo by Interior Communications Electrician 2nd Class Marlin Dominguez)