Richard Buchan III, U.S. ambassador to the Kingdom of Spain and the Principality of Andorra, visited Naval Station Rota April 17 as part of a regional tour.

During the visit, Capt. Michael MacNicholl, Naval Station Rota commanding officer, accompanied Buchan and other command leadership on a tour of the installation to include Commander, Task Force (CTF) 68 operations capability exhibition and a visit to the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Carney (DDG 64).

"We came to Naval Station Rota because we wanted to say 'thank you' to our U.S. service members for their heartfelt dedication to our country," said Buchan. We are reinforcing our strong relationship with our Spanish counterparts and expressing our deep appreciation for them hosting us here."

During his visit, Buchan stressed to the service members that he interacted with how important the relationship is to our host country of Spain.

"The United States and Spain are great allies, partners and friends," said Buchan. "We cooperate on a wide range of issues of importance to both our countries... from security to economic development and to people-to-people engagement."

For all the newcomers to Spain, the ambassador recommended doing a few things while you are stationed here: meet as many locals as possible, try the delicious Spanish cuisine and attend a "football" game.

Buchan was nominated by President Donald Trump in September 2017 and sworn in by Vice President Michael Pence in December 2017. This is his first visit to Naval Station Rota since he assumed his current position in December 2017.

Naval Station Rota enables and supports operations of U.S. and allied forces and provides quality services in support of the fleet, fighter, and family for CNIC in Navy Region EURAFSWA.

Just as a ship performs lines of operation, which provide a capability, Navy Region EURAFSWA bases perform the same eight lines of operation to provide capability to the fleet and joint and allied forces. These eight lines of operation are air operations, port operations, safety, security, Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR), Fleet and Family Services and what is called the core -- the fuels, water and power that keep the bases running. Through the lines of operation, installations are force multipliers, which maximize the combat capability of operational units.

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