USS Roosevelt Departs for Sixth FNDF-E Patrol

Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Roosevelt (DDG 80) in the Artic Circle. Roosevelt, forward-deployed to Rota, Spain, on its first patrol in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations in support of regional allies and partners and U.S. national security interests in Europe and Africa. *U.S. Navy*

NAVAL STATION ROTA, Spain — Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Roosevelt departed Naval Station Rota, Spain to begin its sixth Forward-Deployed Naval Forces-Europe (FDNF-E) patrol, April 11.

The ship and her crew will begin this patrol by crossing the Strait of Gibraltar and operating in the Mediterranean Sea, in support of U.S. 6th Fleet tasking.

“Roosevelt’s crew is excited to get underway and get back to sea where we belong,” said Commander Jeffrey Chewning, Commanding Officer of Roosevelt. “We look forward to executing the mission we’ve been given over the next several months.”

Roosevelt completed its fifth FDNF-E patrol in November 2023. The fifth patrol took the ship and crew throughout the Mediterranean Sea and across the 6th Fleet area of operations. While in the Med, Roosevelt integrated with the Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group, supporting security and stability in the region.

While on patrol in the Baltic in the summer of 2023, Roosevelt participated in NATO’s enhanced vigilance activity (eVA) Neptune Strike 23-2 and operated with NATO Allied Maritime Command’s Standing NATO Maritime Group One (SNMG-1), demonstrating increased interoperability with NATO allies and partners.

Roosevelt was also the first American warship to conduct a Naval Surface Fire Support live fire exercise off the coast of Latvia.

Roosevelt is one of four U.S. Navy destroyers based in Rota, Spain, and assigned to Commander, Task Force 65 in support of NATO’s Integrated Air Missile Defense architecture. These FDNF-E ships have the flexibility to operate throughout the waters of Europe and Africa, from the Cape of Good Hope to the Arctic Circle, demonstrating their mastery of the maritime domain.

For more than 80 years, U.S. Naval Forces Europe-U.S. Naval Forces Africa (NAVEUR-NAVAF) has forged strategic relationships with our Allies and partners, leveraging a foundation of shared values to preserve security and stability.

Headquartered in Naples, Italy, NAVEUR-NAVAF operates U.S. naval forces in the U.S. European Command (USEUCOM) and U.S. Africa Command (USAFRICOM) areas of responsibility. U.S. 6th Fleet is permanently assigned to NAVEUR-NAVAF and employs maritime forces through the full spectrum of joint and naval operations.