Naval Station Rota

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Photo: Evacuees from Afghanistan at Naval Station (NAVSTA) Rota, Spain, walk to a U.S. charter aircraft bound for the U.S., Sept. 8, 2021. NAVSTA Rota is supporting the Department of State mission to facilitate the safe relocation of U.S. citizens, Special Immigration Visa recipients, and vulnerable populations from Afghanistan. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Staff Sgt. Brytani Musick)

Naval Station Rota, Spain was used as a 'lily pad' or transit base by the Department of Defense to house Afghan evacuees on a temporary basis until they are moved to the United States. Most of the evacuees came via the 'lily pads' located on U.S. Air Bases in the Middle East. The evacuees came from flights originating in Afghanistan, flown to a U.S. air base in the Middle East, and went through initial processing. From there they went to Naval Station Rota for more thorough processing before flying to the United States.

Photo: Evacuees from Afghanistan board a United States bound U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III, at Naval Station (NAVSTA) Rota, Sept. 1, 2021. NAVSTA Rota is supporting the Department of State mission to facilitate the safe relocation of U.S. citizens, Special Immigration Visa recipients, and vulnerable populations from Afghanistan. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Nathan Carpenter)

References

Welcome to Naval Station Rota
https://www.cnic.navy.mil/regions/cnreurafcent/installations/ns_rota.html

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