Movimientos de aviones militares estadounidenses desde Morón y Rota en un contexto de creciente tensión con Irán

En los últimos días se ha observado un incremento de movimientos de aviones militares estadounidenses hacia Oriente Medio, detectados a través de seguimiento de vuelos de fuentes abiertas y cuentas especializadas en aviación militar. Estos movimientos han generado un escenario de preparación operativa y disuasión reforzada, más que una decisión inmediata de ataque, que podrían llevar a una posible acción militar contra Irán. 

Morón y Rota, el papel logístico de las bases estadounidenses en España 

(Recientes movimientos de KC-135 de la USAF desde la base de Morón mostrados por el usuario de X @WarMonitor3

La Base Aérea de Morón vuelve a aparecer como un nodo logístico clave dentro de la arquitectura de proyección de poder de Estados Unidos. Su uso recurrente por parte de aviones cisterna KC-135 y KC-46 responde a factores bien conocidos: ubicación estratégica en el eje Atlántico–Mediterráneo, infraestructura consolidada y capacidad para sostener operaciones de largo alcance hacia el Golfo.

Las recientes salidas de aviones cisterna desde Morón, han estado apoyando vuelos de traslado y despliegue a la base aérea de Al Udeid, en Catar.

Su sincronización con otros movimientos aéreos eleva su relevancia y las sitúa claramente fuera de una simple rotación rutinaria.

itamilradar.com: 3 KC-135 en vuelo hacia la base estadounidense de Al Udeid, en Catar, desde Morón, España

El despliegue de EA-18G Growler desde la base de Rota

Más significativo resulta el movimiento de aviones EA-18G Growler de la US Navy, escoltados por cisternas, hacia posiciones avanzadas en Oriente Medio, incluyendo Catar. El Growler es un sistema especializado de guerra electrónica, diseñado para la supresión y degradación de defensas aéreas enemigas, la interferencia de radares y la protección de paquetes aéreos tanto furtivos como convencionales.

Itamilradar.com: 6 EA-18G Growler despegan desde Rota, España, en dirección a posiciones en Oriente Medio

Históricamente, el despliegue de estas plataformas ha buscado maximizar la libertad de acción aérea, especialmente frente a entornos defendidos por sistemas SAM avanzados.

Qué señala realmente esta combinación de activos

La combinación de cisternas y aeronaves de guerra electrónica apunta a un refuerzo de capacidades clave: alcance, persistencia y supervivencia. Los aviones cisterna permiten sostener operaciones a gran distancia, mientras que los Growlers reducen el riesgo operativo en caso de que el espacio aéreo se vuelva disputado.

Desde una perspectiva doctrinal, este tipo de movimientos indica una transición desde la señalización estratégica hacia la preparación operativa. No implica necesariamente una orden de ataque, pero sí la voluntad de asegurar que, si se toma una decisión política, los medios estén ya posicionados para ejecutarla sin demoras.

Irán, disuasión y especulación sobre el calendario

Algunas operaciones se planifican teniendo en cuenta factores políticos, civiles o económicos. Este fin de semana coincide con el cierre de mercados financieros, y su reanudación el lunes, sería de forma más realista, una vez confirmados los resultados de una posible acción militar.

Los avisos a civiles, despliegues navales o incrementos de retórica deben entenderse como parte de una estrategia de presión y disuasión más amplia, no como pruebas concluyentes de un conflicto inminente.

Un patrón conocido

El patrón observado encaja con episodios anteriores de tensión entre Estados Unidos e Irán: movimientos visibles pero controlados, despliegue escalonado de capacidades críticas y una ambigüedad deliberada. El objetivo principal suele ser moldear el entorno estratégico, influir en la toma de decisiones del adversario y mantener la iniciativa en la escalada.

En este marco, España, con las bases estadounidenses situadas en Rota y Morón, actúa como facilitador logístico, un papel silencioso y esencial para permitir que las fuerzas estadounidenses operen con flexibilidad y profundidad estratégica.

La actividad reciente de aviones cisterna estadounidenses y EA-18G Growler debe interpretarse como una señal de preparación seria. En los conflictos modernos, las decisiones no se anuncian de forma explícita, sino que se anticipan mediante ajustes discretos en logística, bases y activos de apoyo.

Por ahora, lo que se observa es el posicionamiento de capacidades y la apertura de opciones. La maquinaria está lista, pero aún no se ha puesto en marcha.

USAF acknowledged The Crash On An RQ-4 Global Hawk Off the Coast Of Spain Last June

After two months of silence, military U.S. officials have acknowledged the crash and recovery of an Air Force RQ-4 Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicle from the Atlantic after the massive surveillance drone crashed off the coast of Spain in late June.
The Northrop aircraft was assigned to 348th Reconnaissance Squadron out of Grand Forks Air Force Base, N.D. The Global Hawk went down in the Gulf of Cadiz near the U.S. Navy’s base in Rota, Spain. The crash occurred at about 11 a.m. EDT on June 26.
Navy and Air Force assets were quickly dispatched to help recover the downed Global Hawk, including fleet oiler USNS Arctic (T-AOE-8) as well as a KC-135 refueler from the 100th Air Refueling Wing out of Zaragoza Air Base, Spain. The Global Hawk was taken to Naval Station Rota after the recovery.
The image of the recovered fuselageshows damage to the engine cowling and shorn metal at the rear of the aircraft. The cause of the crash is currently under investigation by the U.S. Air Combat Command.
The crash is the second time in a year the U.S. Air Force has lost a Global Hawk, with a unit cost of $123 million apiece, according to Fiscal Year 2015 figures.
usni

After Brexit, Spain’s Rota base will be new strategic HQ for the EU

The southern Spanish town of Rota, in Cádiz province, is already home to the Spanish Navy’s biggest military base, and also to what is probably the largest US naval base in all of southern Europe. But after Brexit, in March of next year, Rota will also house one of the European Union’s five operational headquarters (OHQ), replacing the current one at Northwood, in Eastbury, Hertfordshire.
Rota also hopes to replace Northwood as headquarters of Operation Atalanta, the EU naval mission that fights piracy off the coast of Somalia.
elpais

U.S. Presence at Rota Spanish Base Continues to Grow

The American strategy calling for increased attention to the Asia-Pacific region does not mean other areas of the world are less important to U.S. interests and the growth of the naval base here is a case in point.
In 2010, the NATO allies agreed to increase ballistic missile protection for Europe. Two American Aegis-equipped frigates now call Rota home and two more are scheduled to join them next year.
These are the first American ships home-ported here since Polaris-missile submarines left in the 1970s.
Rota is key real estate, said Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Dempsey led a USO troupe to the base and visited with sailors aboard the USS Donald K. Ross. Rota’s harbor is on the Atlantic side of the Strait of Gibraltar and the ships typically are considered U.S. 6th Fleet assets which travel the Mediterranean Sea. The forward-deployed U.S. ships guard against a ballistic missile attack on NATO allies from the Middle East.
Rota-ported U.S. ships and crews “also participate in multinational exercises,” said Navy Capt. Greg Pekari, the commander of Naval Station Rota.
“They [also] are doing anti-piracy operations,” Pekari added. “They are doing whatever the U.S. and NATO need to do to protect and guard our allies.”
Close to Libya, West Africa
U.S. ships based here have a proximity to hot spots like Libya and West Africa, officials said. They are also closer to the Black Sea that the USS Ross entered in September to reassure NATO allies in the wake of Russia’s annexation of Crimea and its aggression in eastern Ukraine.
The Spanish navy hosts the American ships and presence, and sailors and their families home-ported here “hit the jackpot,” according to Pekari.
Officials said the addition of the ships means the base -- billed as the Gateway to the Mediterranean -- is growing. There are currently around 4,000 U.S. service members in more than 30 organizations and their families on base.
Each ship has about 300 sailors assigned, officials said. The number of family members that will arrive is around 400 per ship. “The expectation is we are going to increase by 2,500 to 3,000 Americans over the next couple of years,” Pekari said.
Impacts Base Infrastructure
This is a major increase that will impact the base’s infrastructure, Pekari said, including schools, shopping, the base hospital, maintenance facilities, and contractor support. He said support from the Spanish admiral who manages the base has been first rate and cooperation throughout the Iberian Peninsula has been outstanding.
It will take a couple of years for the base population to build, the captain said, and this is giving U.S. and Spanish officials the opportunity to plan the expansion carefully.
“First-term sailors coming here may not realize how good a base this is to come to because they have nothing to compare it to,” Pekari said. “Don’t get me wrong; they will work hard here. But once work is over, the area and the chance to experience Spanish culture make this area an incredible opportunity.”
defense.gov

US Navy to commission missile defense base in Romania

The US Navy will commission its new missile defense base in southern Romania on Friday, one of two European land-based interceptor sites for a NATO missile shield vehemently opposed by Russia.
The base represents a rare expansion of the U.S. footprint in Europe, and the even rarer construction of a new Navy base from the ground up.
The base in Deveselu will be the first to feature the Aegis Ashore ballistic missile defense system, a land-based version of the sophisticated radar tracking system installed on U.S. warships since 2004. Scheduled to become operational by the end of next year, the base — which is housed within a larger Romanian military installation — will be staffed by several hundred U.S. military, civilian and contract employees. A second site, in Poland, is scheduled to become operational by 2018.
The site is part of a NATO missile defense shield pursued by two U.S. administrations as a defense against short- and intermediate-range ballistic missiles from Iran and other rogue states. But Russia has long criticized the project, claiming it was aimed against its own ballistic missile arsenal.
U.S. warships equipped with Aegis systems began making regular patrols in the Mediterranean in 2011, and the U.S. is moving four of the destroyers to Rota, Spain, for the missions. An advanced radar system in Turkey was completed in 2012.
The site at Deveselu, Romania, will host an Aegis SPY-1 radar and hold 24 Standard Missile-3 interceptors of the Block IB variant. A four-story radar deckhouse, similar to those used on a warship, will be moved to the site from the U.S. East Coast as part of construction.
The third and fourth phases were to focus on medium- and longer-range missile threats, with construction of the second land-based site in Poland and development of two new SM-3 variants.
stripes

US Navy Destroyer USS Ross enters Black Sea amid tensions

The destroyer Ross is heading into the Black Sea on Wednesday, a 6th Fleet release said, to “promote peace and stability” in the region as tensions mount between Russia and Ukraine.
The Ross and the French ship Commandant Birot will be on patrol. The ships are are arriving after the exit of the cruiser Vella Gulf, which began making its way back to its Norfolk, Virginia, home port in late August.
The Vella Gulf spent much of the summer on patrol in the Black Sea. Ross, homeported in Rota, Spain, is on its first ballistic missile defense patrol since its home port shift in June and first deployment since 2010.
navytimes

USS Ross, Second USN destroyer to arrive in Rota to begin BMD mission

The second of four US Navy (USN) destroyers assigned to support Washington's missile defence architecture in Europe has arrived in Rota, Spain, on 16 June.
Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Ross (DDG 71) completed its transit from its former home port in Norfolk, Virginia, and has begun its new mission as a forward-deployed USN warship at Naval Station Rota as part of the three-pronged US plan for ballistic missile defence (BMD) in Europe.
Ross joins USS Donald Cook (DDG 75) as part of a quartet of USN destroyers to provide the initial phase of the European Phased Adaptive Approach.
janes

2nd Navy destroyer leaves Norfolk for Spain

USS Ross is the latest Norfolk-based ship to be moved to Rota.
USS Donald Cook left in January; USS Porter and USS Carney will arrive in 2015. All are Arleigh Burke class guided-missile destroyers.
 USS Ross leftt Norfolk around 9 a.m. Tuesday.
wvec.com

Last U.S. Surface Ship Leaves the Black Sea

The frigate assigned to operations in the Black Sea as part of a U.S. show of support to allies in the region has left, leaving no U.S. surface ships in the region.
USS Taylor (FFG-50) had been in the Black Sea off and on since Feb. 5 overlapping with the guided missile destroyer USS Donald Cook (DDG-75) and the command ship USS Mount Whitney (LCC-20).
Taylor and Mount Whitney were originally in the region to provide support for the 2014 Winter Olympic Games.
Taylor remained in the Black Sea after running aground while attempting to moor in Turkey and then stayed as a show of support to regional U.S. allies after the Russian seizure of Crimea.
The U.S. also sent guided missile destroyer Donald Cook — based at Naval Station Rota, Spain — to the Black Sea on April 10 as show of U.S. military muscle. The French also sent ship signals intelligence ship Dupuy de Lôme (A759) the same day.
The destroyer was buzzed by a Russian Sukhoi SU-24 Fencer on April 12 — two days after entering the region. Donald Cook left the Black sea on April 24.
It’s unclear what NATO naval presence remains in the region.
The Russians have complained the U.S. had violated the so-called 1936 Montreux Convention Regarding the Regime of the Straits.
Montreux rules call for warships from countries with out a coast on the Black Sea to depart after 21 days.
usni

Rota based Destroyer Donald Cook to enter Black Sea amid standoff

The destroyer Donald Cook is set to enter the Black Seaamid tensions over eastern Ukraine.
Pentagon spokesman saidthat the move shows America’s commitment to the region.
The Donald Cook’s mission is to reassure NATO allies and Black Sea partners of America’s commitment to strengthen and improve interoperability while working towards mutual goals in the region.
The Donald Cook changed home ports from Norfolk to Rota, Spain, to be one of eventually four ships stationed there for ballistic missile defense patrols. The crew arrived in their new homeport in February.
The ship will participate in exercises with regional partners. The Donald Cook’s presence follows that of the destroyer Truxtun, which left the area in late March.
Truxton entered the Black Sea ahead of the disputed Crimea referendum that Russia used as a basis to annex the region. At the time, military officials said the Truxtun was there on a pre-planned mission conducting exercises with the Romanian and Bulgarian navies.
navytimes

First of four missile destroyers arrives in Spain

The first of four U.S. Navy destroyers to form the centerpiece of Europe’s missile defense shield arrived in southern Spain on Tuesday.
The USS Donald Cook, pulled into the U.S. Navy base in Rota.
Plans call for the USS Donald Cook to be joined by three more Arleigh Burke-class missile-guided destroyers, which carry the Aegis weapon system, over the coming two years. All are to be stationed at the base in Rota, on the Atlantic coast north of Gibraltar.
Other pieces of the missile defense shield include land-based Aegis interceptor batteries in Romania and Poland, radar in Turkey and a command center at Ramstein, Germany.
The plan has caused a major rift with Russia, which says the shield is aimed against its own nuclear missile arsenal. The U.S. and its NATO allies insist the defense system is meant to protect Europe from potentially hostile countries in the region, such as Iran.
The destroyer detachment expands the Navy presence in Europe at a time when other services are drawing down across the continent.
U.S. interest in the Mediterranean has risen in recent years because of conflicts and instability across the region, from Syria to Egypt and North Africa. The Mediterranean is also a significant waterway for commercial shipping and an access point to Middle Eastern waters from the Atlantic.
The ships will make regular four-month deployments around the Mediterranean basin. In addition to operations related to missile defense, they will be available for other maritime security operations, bilateral and multilateral training exercises, and other NATO deployments.
The three destroyers to join the Donald Cook are the USS Ross, theUSS Porter, and the USS Carney. Destroyer Squadron 60 in Rota will control the four ships.
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USS Donald Cook heads to Rota; 3 more DDGs to follow

The destroyer Donald Cook set sail from Norfolk, Va., for its new home port in Rota, Spain, the first of four destroyers over the next two years to be forward-deployed to that nation.
Ross and Porter, out of Norfolk, and Carney, out of Mayport, Fla., will follow Cook as the first U.S. ships to be homeported at Naval Station Rota since 1979.
Former Defense Secretary announced the Rota move in October 2011. Navy Secretary Ray Mabus announced the chosen ships in February 2012.
Basing ships in Rota will allow the Navy to provide more forward-based presence with fewer ships. Transit time from the U.S. to the operating area is eliminated, and the ships are able to respond quickly to a wide range of contingencies.
About 1,300 sailors and 2,100 family members will move to Rota. They’ll join the 1,300 sailors, 1,700 family members and 200 U.S. civilian workers already there.
Many active-duty sailors were thrilled with the chance to get orders to Spain, and Rota veterans told Navy Times of the excellent quality of life at the base.
navytimes

Missile destroyers to raise the significance of Rota and the Mediterranean

The former Cold War submarine base in this sleepy town in southern Spain is about to experience a dramatic transformation — it will become the centerpiece of NATO’s new ballistic missile defense shield stretching across southern and eastern Europe.

In February, the first of four U.S. Aegis missile destroyers, the USS Donald Cook, is scheduled to arrive here for permanent stationing. Another ship will come later in 2014, followed by two more in 2015. The Arleigh-Burke class ships, which are capable of shooting down ballistic missiles, will patrol the Mediterranean basin on four-month rotations on a mission to protect Europe from the threat of attack from Iran.

The program, known as the European Phased Adaptive Approach, is part of a wider NATO plan that includes land-based interceptor batteries in Romania and Poland and a radar system in Turkey. The plan has caused a major rift with Russia, which says the shield is aimed against its own nuclear missile arsenal.

Rota, located near the Strait of Gibraltar, will nearly double in population by the time the last ship arrives in 2015. The four vessels will bring more sailors and families to the town, as well as strategic significance as a base that is on the front lines of U.S. strategy in the region.

The arrival of the ships coincides with increased U.S. interest in the Mediterranean and Africa, where an area of instability ranges from Syria down to Egypt and across much of northern Africa, parts of which have become havens for militant groups. The Mediterranean also remains the gateway for U.S. deployments to the Middle East and the Persian Gulf, where operations in Afghanistan and tensions with Iran have led to increased tours by carrier groups and smaller craft.

The four destroyers will significantly add to the number of ships controlled by the U.S. Sixth Fleet and U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa, a command that for years has had only its flagship, the USS Mount Whitney, as a permanent presence.

The U.S. established Rota in 1953 in a deal with Spanish dictator Francisco Franco in exchange for economic and military aid to the regime.

Located inside a 6,100-acre Spanish base on the Bay of Cadiz, the installation offered a way-station to ships and aircraft transiting the Atlantic before entering the Mediterranean. In 1960, it received a squadron of Skywarrior reconnaissance jets.

Rota further expanded with the arrival of the Polaris missile-wielding Submarine Squadron 16 from Charleston, S.C., in 1964.

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US Defence Secretary Hagel Discusses Syria, Cooperation With Spain’s Defense Minister

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel met with Spanish Defense Minister Pedro Morenés at the Pentagon yesterday
In a statement summarizing the meeting, Hagel and Morenés spoke at length about the violence in Syria.
The two leaders discussed Spain's support of a joint statement issued at the G-20 summit in St. Petersburg, Russia, condemning the Syrian regime’s Aug. 21 chemical weapons attack on Syrian civilians and supporting the efforts by the United States and other countries to reinforce the prohibition on chemical weapons use.
Hagel also thanked Morenés for Spain's support of U.S. forces, specifically at Morón Air Base and Naval Station Rota. Hagel and Morenés discussed security challenges in Africa, including piracy, illicit trafficking, and terrorism.
The importance of supporting security and stability in Afghanistan after the NATO military mission ends there in 2014 was another subject the two leaders discussed
Secretary Hagel thanked Spain for being a valued ally, and conveyed the United States' appreciation for Spain's steadfast commitment to Afghanistan".
defense.gov

La flotilla británica zarpa hacia el Mediterráneo/ Royal Navy taskforce sets sail ahead of Gibraltar visit

El portahelicópteros de la Armada británica HMS Illustrious ha abandonado este lunes a las 10.30 la base naval de Portsmouth, en el sur de Inglaterra despedido por efusivas muestras de entusiasmo. El buque ha zarpado cuando Londres acaba de anunciar acciones legales "sin precedentes" contra España por el conflicto entre ambos países por Gibraltar. El buque de guerra y hasta nueve embarcaciones más navegarán por el Mediterráneo durante los próximos días hasta llegar al golfo Pérsico, donde realizarán unos ejercicios militares. Se espera que las fragatas Westminster y Montrose zarpen el martes, junto con el resto de buques. Atracarán en Gibraltar el próximo día 18, mientras que la nave insignia lo hará en Rota (Cádiz).
elpais
elmundo
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A Royal Navy deployment, which will include a stop at Gibraltar, will leave UK ports over the next few days, amid tensions between Spain and the UK.
A warship is due to dock at the British territory within a week, a deployment described by the MoD as "long-planned".
It comes as increased vehicle checks at the Spanish border have led to delays.
The Spanish government said it is considering taking the dispute to the UN Security Council where it could seek the support of Argentina.
A spokesman told the BBC that although the Falkland Islands - over which Britain went to war with Argentina - and Gibraltar were different issues, there were similarities between the two disputes.
The MoD says a number of Royal Navy warships and vessels from the Royal Fleet Auxiliary are setting sail over the next few days for the annual deployment of the Response Force Task Group.
The group includes HMS Bulwark, HMS Illustrious, HMS Montrose and HMS Westminster. Helicopter carrier HMS Illustrious departed from Portsmouth on Monday morning and will join the navy flagship HMS Bulwark, which has sailed from Devonport.
HMS Westminster will be stopping over in Gibraltar, accompanied by the Royal Fleet Auxiliary ships Lyme Bay and Mounts Bay.
One of the other warships will visit the Spanish Rota naval base, which is near the Strait of Gibraltar in south-west Spain.
bbc

US to pay Spain 200 million to host missile shield

Spain and the US are expected to formalize an agreement in the coming weeks over the stationing of four destroyers at the naval base in Rota, Cádiz, for an initial period of over four years. The deal is worth 200 million euros to Spanish public company Navantia, which will be responsible for the maintenance of the four Arleigh Burke class vessels. The destroyers form part of the NATO missile defense shield and are equipped with Aegis combat systems capable of intercepting ballistic missiles.
elpais

Primera toma de un helicóptero en la cubierta de vuelo de la fragata “Cristóbal Colón”

El pasado 09 de febrero la fragata salió de su base en Ferrol hacia la Base Naval de Rota (Cádiz), realizando su primera navegación fuera de las aguas de Ferrol.
El 14 de febrero, a las 18:15 horas, un helicóptero Sikorsky SH3-D perteneciente a la 5ª Escuadrilla de la Flotilla de Aeronaves realizó la primera toma de una aeronave sobre la cubierta de vuelo de la fragata F-105 ‘Cristóbal Colón’.
Esta toma se enmarca dentro del proceso de inspección, certificación y adiestramiento aeronaval que la fragata comenzó el día 11 de febrero, en aguas del Golfo de Cádiz y que finalizó el 15 de febrero. Culmina así un proceso que capacita y acredita a la fragata para operar como buque con capacidad aérea (BCCA).
La cubierta de vuelo de la fragata ‘Cristóbal Colón’, como en las demás fragatas F-100, está diseñada para operar, lanzar, recibir y dar apoyo, tanto de día como de noche a los helicópteros de la Flotilla de Aeronaves.
Con el objeto de realizar este proceso de certificación, la fragata salió de su base en Ferrol el pasado 09 de febrero para entrar el día 11 en la Base Naval de Rota (Cádiz), alcanzando así otro hito en la historia del buque, al realizar su primera navegación fuera de las aguas de Ferrol.

armada

España y EEUU firmarán hoy en la sede de la OTAN la inclusión de la base de Rota en el Sistema de Defensa Antimisiles

Tras negociar durante nueve meses los términos, el ministro español de Defensa, Pedro Morenés, y el secretario de Defensa estadounidense, Leon Panetta, firmarán hoy el nuevo Convenio sobre cooperación para la Defensa entre España y Estados Unidos en el que se fijan las bases para la inclusión de la base naval de Rota en el escudo antimisiles de la OTAN.

defensa.com

Los destructores del escudo antimisiles llegarán a Rota entre 2013 y 2014

Los cuatro destructores de la Armada estadounidense con sistema de combate AEGIS que se establecerán en la base de Rota para formar parte de la estructura del escudo antimisiles de la Alianza Atlántica llegarán a las instalaciones militares gaditanas entre 2013 y 2014-

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Spain approves deployment of U.S. warships

Spain gave the final green light Friday for the U.S. Navy to deploy four Aegis warships to a naval base in southern Spain.
The deployment is part of NATO’s ballistic defense shield.

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