A five-year expansion plan at the southern Spanish naval port at Rota was officially completed on 21 March with the opening of a rebuilt wharf by Secretary of State for Defence Pedro Arguelles. A major role for the port will be to host the four US vessels equipped with the Aegis combat system that are due to be assigned to the European Phased Adaptive Approach ballistic missile defence programme from next year. The Spanish Navy said the port expansion had reclaimed an extra 60,000m2 from the sea, and doubled the docking space in meeting NATO requirements to equip Rota for handling a multinational force in a zone that controls the entrance to the Mediterranean from the Atlantic.
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