 Destroyer USS Donald Cook departed Naval Station Rota, Spain March 14th for its first patrol of the Sixth Fleet area of operations Donald Cook is the first of four destroyers to join the Navy's four deployed naval forces in Rota The ships will be part of a phased adaptive approach to protect European allies US forces in the region and the US against ballistic missile threats When we got underway on 31 January we were very excited and honored to be the first ship to be chosen to come over here and execute the president's directive to bring this capability forward The ship and its crew will also perform other missions including NATO missile defense, maritime security operations and training exercises While on patrol Donald Cook will add to European presence and be where it matters when it matters. From the Defense Media Activity I'm Petty Officer Xander Gamble