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USS COLE HOSTED MEDIA FROM NATO NATIONS, IN ROTA, SPAIN TO DEMONSTRATE IT'S CONTRIBUTIONS
TO THE EUROPEAN PHASED ADAPTIVE APPROACH TO BALLISTIC MISSILE DEFENSE, OR BMD.
"PHASE ONE IS THE SEA-BASED ACTIVE BMD MISSION. THIS MEANS WE USE THE AEGIS COMBAT SYSTEM,
THE SPY RADAR, THE SM THREE INTERCEPTOR."
THE FOUR STEP PLAN ALLOWS PROTECTION OF EUROPEAN ALLIES AND US FORCES BY USING THESE SEA BASED
SYSTEMS WITH LAND BASED INTERCEPTORS TO ACCOMPLISH THE BMD MISSION.
"AND THESE SHIPS, THE AEGIS DESTROYERS, HAVE THE CAPABILITY TO ENGAGE THEM USING THE SM
THREE INTERCEPTOR THAT LAUNCHES OUT OF THE VERTICAL LAUNCHING SYSTEM."
MEETING SERVICE MEMBERS AND SEEING THE SYSTEMS THEY OPERATE GAVE MEDIA MEMBERS A CHANCE TO
SEE HOW NAVAL STATION ROTA WILL SUPPORT OPERATIONAL FLEXIBILITY.
"AND IT ALSO GIVES US AN OPPORTUNITY TO HIGHLIGHT THE FACT THAT IN A COUPLE OF YEARS WE'RE GOING
TO BRING SOME SHIPS TO BE PERMANENTLY HOME BASED HERE IN ROTA TO SUPPORT THAT EUROPEAN
PHASED ADAPTIVE APPROACH."
BY SHOWCASING ITS CAPABILITIES, COLE'S VISIT INFORMED NATO PARTNERS AND NAVSTA ROTA ON
WHAT THEY CAN LOOK FORWARD TO.
"THE NICE THING ABOUT HAVING HER IN ROTA IS THAT IT GIVES US THE OPPORTUNITY TO TALK TO
SOME OF OUR NATO ALLIES ABOUT HOW THE EUROPEAN PHASED ADAPTIVE APPROACH WILL EVENTUALLY FIT
INTO NATO PLANS."
US DESTROYERS ROSS, DONALD COOK, PORTER AND CARNEY ARE MULTI-MISSION PLATFORMS.
IN ADDITION TO THE BMD MISSION, THESE SHIPS CAN PROVIDE MARITIME SECURITY, HUMANITARIAN
ASSISTANCE AND COUNTER-PIRACY OPERATIONS THROUGHOUT THE ATLANTIC AND MEDITERRANEAN REGION.
AEGIS BALLISTIC MISSILE DEFENSE IS THE US CONTRIBUTION TO NATO'S MISSILE DEFENSE EFFORT
PETTY OFFICER RYAN SEELBACH, ROTA, SPAIN.