Stars and Stripes:
NAPLES, Italy — U.S. 6th Fleet formally established its new air and missile defense task force here Thursday, giving added weight to one of the Navy’s primary missions in Europe.
Task Force 64 will command ballistic missile defense and integrated air defense missions across the theater, among them operations involving ballistic missile defense destroyers stationed in Rota, Spain, and Navy ground-interceptor sites in Deveselu, Romania, and Redzikowo, Poland.
The command is also responsible for ensuring U.S. ships can defend themselves against air and anti-ship missile threats at sea, a growing concern for 6th Fleet with the rise of Russian patrols in the region.
The move would elevate missile and air defense, which was formerly a staff position within 6th Fleet, to the same level of command as U.S. surface ships or submarines in the region.
