MOSCOW, December 9 (Sputnik), Alexander Mosesov — The United States Naval Forces in Europe told Sputnik News Agency Tuesday it sees the deployment of two additional Aegis destroyers in Spain in 2015 as a 'significant deterrent'.
"Stationing these [Aegis-equipped] naval assets in Spain places them in a position to maximize their operational flexibility for missions in the Atlantic and Mediterranean and allows these ships to operate forward and have access to the strategic crossroads. It also allows a rapid response to any crisis, which in itself, is a significant deterrent," US Naval Forces Europe, the navy component of United States European Command, told Sputnik.
On Monday, Senior Naval Analyst Christopher Harmer from the Institute for the Study of War told Sputnik that doubling the size of the current fleet in Rota with two more warships will not alter the regional dynamics. The deployment of Aegis destroyers, however, will contribute to the strengthening of NATO missile defense system.
The US missile defense system in Europe, which NATO and the United States say is aimed at countering threats from North Korea and Iran, has been a particular source of friction in US-Russian relations for a number of years.
