Spain will host U.S. ships for defense system

BRUSSELS -- The Obama administration and the Spanish government have agreed to base Aegis Cruisers on Spain's coast as part of the anti-ballistic missile defense system to protect Europe against a potential Iranian nuclear threat, officials said Wednesday.

The plan will make it easier to maintain a continuous naval presence in the Mediterranean Sea, and also provide security in the eastern Atlantic.

"This announcement should send a very strong signal that the U.S. is still continuing to invest in this alliance and that we're committed to defense relationship with Europe even as we face budget constraints at home," U.S. defense secretary Leon Panetta said at a ceremony attended by Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero.

"In this challenging fiscal environment partnerships like NATO are even more essential to protecting our common interests," Panetta said.

The two nations agreed to base the ships at Naval Station Rota, about 60 miles northwest of Gibraltar. The port has served as a principal overseas base for the U.S. Navy since the early 1950s.