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MADRID, Spain - Adm. Stuart B. Munsch, commander, U.S. Naval Forces Europe and Africa (NAVEUR/NAVAF), accepted the Armada Española’s Premio Especial de la Armada award on behalf of the United States Navy during a ceremony in Madrid, Spain, Sept. 25, 2025.
Adm. Stuart B. Munsch, commander, U.S. Naval Forces Europe and Africa (NAVEUR/NAVAF), accepted the Armada Española’s Premio Especial de la Armada award on behalf of the United States Navy during a ceremony in Madrid, Spain, Sept. 25, 2025.
The Premio Especial de la Armada recognizes the U.S. Navy for its enduring connection with the Armada Española and celebrates the long-standing, significant relationship between the two navies.
“I am proud to be here and represent the entire U.S. Navy in accepting the Premio Especial de la Armada,” said Munsch. “This recognition, especially in the year of the U.S. Navy's 250th birthday, honors the bond of trust and cooperation that exists between our two navies and our nations.”
U.S. and Spanish naval forces operate together across the Western Mediterranean, the Atlantic Ocean, and the Strait of Gibraltar, safeguarding sea lines of communication, deterring aggression, and enhancing collective defense.
“Our shared commitment to the freedom of the seas, to the deterrence of our adversaries and to the defense of peace – and the prosperity it enables – requires collective work and international cooperation built on a foundation of trust and cooperation,” Munsch said.
From the five U.S. Navy ships based at Naval Station Rota, to integration in NATO maritime task groups and carrier strike group operations, the two navies routinely train together. In 2025, the U.S. Navy and Armada demonstrated their interoperability and shared commitment in exercises like Formidable Shield 2025, Sea Breeze 2025, Neptune Strike 2025, and Dynamic Messenger/REPMUS 2025.
Munsch congratulated the Armada’s continued investment in modern capabilities, to include the recent launch of the F-111 Aegis FFG in Ferrol as another example of a collaborative defense effort between the U.S. and Spain and collective effort to build a credible and capable deterrence for the Alliance.
Concluding his remarks, Munsch said the award reflects the deep and enduring bond of trust and cooperation that the United States and Spain share together in the past, present, and future.
For over 80 years, NAVEUR/NAVAF has forged strategic relationships with allies and partners, leveraging a foundation of shared values to share the duties of preserving security and stability. Headquartered in Naples, Italy, NAVEUR/NAVAF operates U.S. naval forces in the U.S. European Command and U.S. Africa Command areas of responsibility.
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