​During his first official visit to Spain

Pedro Morenés receives Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR)

2014.7.2

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Among other issues, Pedro Morenés and Philip Breedlove discussed the preparations being made for the upcoming NATO Summit in September and the preventive measures put in place as a result of the crisis in Ukraine. In this regard, Pedro Morenés reiterated Spain's offer of bringing forward the delivery of four Eurofighters and a frigate, which were scheduled for 2016, but are now available to join the rotation of allied forces in the Baltic Sea region.

At the press briefing held by the two leaders with the media, Pedro Morenés recalled that, besides paying attention to crisis situations such as in Ukraine, NATO must also respond to the conflict situations developing in Africa, where Spanish forces have been deployed on EU peacekeeping operations, because "a weakness on one flank is a weakness for the entire organisation".
General Breedlove was also due to visit the Chief of Defence Staff, to be given a presentation on the current situation of the Spanish Armed Forces and their overseas operations.

On Thursday, 3 July, the Supreme Allied Commander Europe is to attend the ceremony to open the new installations at the Combined Air Operations Centre for Southern Europe at the Torrejón Air Base (CAOC TJ). He will then fly to Valencia to visit the Headquarters of the NATO Rapid Deployable Corps Spain (ESP NRDC HQ) in Bétera, which recently obtained full operational status.

At his meeting with the media, General Breedlove happily recalled that he began his career as an F-16 fighter pilot in the late 1970s at the Torrejón de Ardoz Air Base. Furthermore, General Philip Breedlove attended the official opening of the Combined Air Operations Centre for Southern Europe (CAOC TJ) at the same air base on 3 February 2013, at its former location, in his capacity of Head of Allied Air Command.