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NEWS | June 11, 2021

Commander, U.S. Sixth Fleet Visits Five Destroyers in Rota, Spain

By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Trey Fowler

Vice Adm. Gene Black, commander, U.S. Sixth Fleet, visited five Arleigh-Burke guided-missile destroyers assigned to Commander, Task Force (CTF) 65 during a visit to Naval Station (NAVSTA) Rota, Spain, June 8, 2021.

USS Arleigh Burke (DDG 51), USS Donald Cook (DDG 75), USS Porter (DDG 78) and USS Ross (DDG 71) are forward deployed to NAVSTA Rota. USS Paul Ignatius (DDG 117) is operating in the Sixth Fleet area of responsibility (AOR) in support of operations and exercises with partner nations.

“These accomplished crews meet mission every day,” said Black, “sailing alongside partner navies and supporting the most successful Alliance in history.” 

Ross, Paul Ignatius, and Arleigh Burke recently completed participation in At-Sea Demo/Formidable Shield 21, the largest live-fire Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD) exercise in the region.  During the exercise Paul Ignatius conducted a cooperative engagement of a live medium-range ballistic target using a Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) interceptor.

Porter recently concluded its ninth Forward Deployed Naval Forces-Europe (FDNF-E) patrol where it conducted operations in the Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea and Atlantic Ocean with several allies and partner nations. Donald Cook is making preparations to return to the United States after completing its final Forward Deployed Naval Forces (FDNF) patrol in the U.S. Sixth Fleet area of operations.

Commander, Task Force 65, located in Rota, Spain, exercises operational and tactical control of all forward deployed surface combatants operating in the U.S. Sixth Fleet. 

U.S. Sixth Fleet, headquartered in Naples, Italy, conducts the full spectrum of joint and naval operations, often in concert with allied and interagency partners, in order to advance U.S. national security interests and security and stability in Europe and Africa.