RELIEF OF THE COMMANDER, U.S. NAVAL ACTIVITIES IN SPAIN.

ROTA NAVAL BASE, Spain (July 14, 2022) – U.S. Navy Captain Teague J. Suarez relieved Capt. David S. Baird as Commander of U.S. Naval Activities in Spain and Commander in Chief of Naval Station Rota during a change of command ceremony at U.S. Naval Headquarters (Rota Naval Base).

Rear Admiral Brad Collins, Commander, Naval Region Europe, Africa and Central, presided over the ceremony which was attended by Vice Admiral Ricardo Hernandez, Spanish Admiral of Rota Naval Base, as well as numerous U.S. and Spanish military authorities and personnel, Rota Naval Station employees and their families.

"Rota Naval Station serves as a hallmark of U.S.-Spanish military cooperation," said Collins. "As a gateway to the Mediterranean, from here at Rota the facility allows us to conduct operations that provide key stability and security for the maritime area of Europe and Africa, including the Mediterranean Sea, one of the busiest sea lines of communication in the world."

Captain Baird assumed command in June 2019 and has been in command during the global pandemic, the hosting of evacuees from Afghanistan during Operation ‘Allies Welcome’, among many other milestones.

"Words cannot express my gratitude to this community, nor how proud I am of what this community has accomplished together. One of the things I am most proud of is that this facility never stopped functioning during the pandemic, but I have never felt more accomplished than during our work here in support of the Afghanistan evacuation operation," said Baird. "Our team is made up of not only military personnel, but also civilians who work here, both Spanish and American. Without each and every one of you, the successes and accomplishments of the past 3 years would not have been possible."

Baird took a unique approach to leadership during his tenure through frequent social media updates to the community, a trend that began during the pandemic, in which he often intermingled relevant stories from his personal life to add perspective to this ever-changing situation. Baird noted that community support and the hard work and discipline of military personnel enabled the 41 units at Naval Station Rota to safely and successfully accomplish their missions, but none of that would have been possible without close collaboration with our Spanish hosts.

"For decades, U.S. military personnel and their families have viewed Rota as one of the most desirable duty stations in the world, and one of the main reasons is the friendly and welcoming local community." said Baird. "But I think the challenges we shared and conquered together during the pandemic and supporting evacuees from Afghanistan have outweighed the feelings of friendship. We now feel that we are part of one big family: a Spanish and American family.

Upon taking command, Suarez said he hoped to continue Rota's record of excellence and to strengthen the close ties with Spain.

"My family and I are thrilled with this opportunity of living in Spain and build on the extraordinary work Captain Baird has done here on Rota," Suarez said. "Together with our Spanish partners, the ‘Rota Team’ will continue to provide the best possible support to the warfighters on the sea front, and on the many strategic missions."

Naval Station Rota enables and supports U.S., NATO and friendly forces through six lines of operation which are security, port operations, air operations, risk prevention, quality of life and what is called “the Core”. The Core includes fuel, water, power supply and information technology infrastructures. Through these lines of operation, Naval Station Rota maximizes the combat capability of U.S. and allied operational forces.