JUNE 5, 2026 – Base Naval de Rota hosted the slick response exercise on June 4, 2026. This event is one of the annual bilateral exercises between the U.S. Navy and the Spanish Armada.
Bay of Cadiz Port Authority, Cadiz Port Captain’s Office, and Spanish Maritime Rescue Services participated in the event, in accordance with the Spanish national response system to maritime contamination. Furthermore, the Director General of Spanish Merchant Marine and Commander of U.S. Naval Activities Spain Capt. Charles Chmielak were present during the exercise.
“Executing joint exercises alongside civilian authorities allows us to improve the coordination between entities during emergencies, natural disasters, or threats to our national security. These exercises foster a mutual understanding in the processes, capabilities, and limitations of each entity, which is essential for a quick and efficient response”, explained Spanish Armada Capt. Antonio Benitez Delgado, chief of base general services at Base Naval de Rota and director of the exercise.
Commander of U.S. Naval Activities Spain Capt. Charles Chmielak oversaw the initial response procedures from the U.S. Emergency Operations Center, as well as the initial coordination and turnover of incident response command to Spanish authorities.
“As guests on a foreign military base, our partnership with our Spanish allies is central to everything we do,” said Chmielak. “For over 70 years, we have worked and trained together to solve challenges, prepare for emergencies, and strengthen the safety and security of our shared community while enhancing our collective capabilities.” Every year, the importance of this exercise increases, motivated by the Base Naval de Rota Internal Maritime Plan, which became official two years ago.
The Exercise: Minute by Minute
“Exercise, exercise, exercise” announced the giant voice at Base Naval at the beginning of the drill, which was used for the first time for this exercise.
The simulation started with a small spill of 50 gallons of oil from one of the piers at Base Naval de Rota, initially contained by the U.S. Navy and Spanish Armada resources on the base, which constitutes level I of response. At that moment, the Base Naval de Rota Internal Maritime Plan is activated to use all resources available to contain the spill and the Armada deploys the Environmental section, whose objective is to evaluate the reach of the spill to inform at all times about its dangerousness in order to activate the appropriate resources to contain it.
The spill was not controlled and increased to five thousand gallons, which forced the activation of level two of the Spanish national response system to maritime contamination. Once the spill was carried outside of the base perimeter, coordination with Bay of Cadiz Port Authority started and the Spanish Maritime Rescue Services resources were used to avoid further expansion of the oil throughout the sea and the coastline of the Bay of Cadiz.
“During maritime emergencies, coordination is crucial. It allows the mobilization of available resources, it facilitates the decision-making process, and it prevents duplications and delays in the intervention,” stated Ana Núñez, director general of Merchant Marine. “Therefore, the Directorate General of the Merchant Marine supports this type of exercise, which strengthens the coordination and helps us detect minor mistakes.”
The United States and Spain work closely together on a range of global challenges, including promoting international peace, security, and economic prosperity, and our strong and enduring relationship has directly contributed to mutual and regional security and prosperity.
For more information about U.S. Naval Activities Spain/U.S. Naval Station Rota, Spain, go to the installation’s website at https://cnreurafcent.cnic.navy.mil/Installations/NAVSTA-Rota/ or follow the installation Naval Station Rota, Spain on Facebook, @navstarotaspain on Instagram, or @NAVSTA_Rota on X.
From Silvia Garcia Navarro
Armada Public Affairs