King Felipe VI marks 25th anniversary of 9/11 in Rota and opens Base Forum museum

Joint commemoration at Rota Naval Base

King Felipe VI of Spain and United States Ambassador Benjamin León Jr led a memorial ceremony at Rota Naval Base on 11 September 2026 to mark the 25th anniversary of the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks. Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles accompanied the monarch during the morning event, which commenced at 11:00 with an honor guard parade displaying the national flags of Spain and the United States. Military personnel performed both national anthems before an aerial flyover featuring a US Navy MH-60R helicopter from squadron HSM-79 alongside aircraft from the 9th, 10th, 12th, and 14th squadrons of the Spanish Navy. Felipe VI and Ambassador León placed ribbons on memorial wreaths carried by representatives of the US Navy and the base fire department, commemorating the nearly 3,000 victims who died in the 2001 attacks.

Bilateral ties and military cooperation

The naval base ceremony included a commemorative reading, a religious invocation delivered by the base chaplain, and addresses by the Commander of US Naval Activities in Spain, Charles Chmielak, and Ambassador León. Ceremonial traditions concluded with the Last Alarm bell sequence, a formal blessing, and the sounding of taps during a moment of silence. Ambassador León thanked Spain for its long-standing alliance, referencing Spain's own experience with terrorism following the 11 March 2004 train bombings in Madrid and noting its contributions under NATO mutual defense commitments. The naval installation at Rota currently hosts roughly 7,000 American residents, consisting of military service members, civilian employees, and their families.

Spain was present from the beginning, supporting the historic invocation of NATO's Article 5 and contributing forces to operations in the Mediterranean and Afghanistan.

Terrorism can cause immense pain and loss, but it will never defeat the values that hold free societies together.

Base Forum museum opening in Rota

After completing the military commemoration, Felipe VI traveled to central Rota to inaugurate the Base Forum municipal museum located on Avenida de la Diputación. Rota Mayor Javier Ruiz Arana welcomed the King by presenting him with the municipal baton of office, joined by Andalusia Culture Minister Patricia del Pozo and Government Delegate Pedro Fernández. The 2,300-square-meter cultural facility occupies converted municipal warehouses, housing exhibits that detail the defense history of Rota from the 18th century through more than sixty years of joint Spanish and American base operations. Historian José Antonio Bejarano guided the monarch through the primary exhibition hangar, which displays large-scale equipment including a Civil Guard helicopter from the Rota Air Unit, a naval base helicopter, and a P-19 airport rescue and firefighting vehicle. The visit concluded with Felipe VI signing the city book of honor and receiving a commemorative photograph of the training ship Juan Sebastián de Elcano from Mayor Ruiz Arana.