Armed Forces Day

King of Spain congratulates military personnel taking part in domestic and international missions

2020.5.30

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Upon his arrival, King Felipe - who did not receive official honours due to the current situation of national mourning - was received by the Minister for Defence and greeted the Chief of Defence Staff, the Chiefs of Staff of the Army and Navy, and the General Chief of the Emergency Military Unit (Spanish acronym: UME).

He then travelled to the General Headquarters building where the videoconference began at 09:30.

Before the event started, a minute's silence was held in remembrance of all those who have died from COVID-19, as well as for fallen members of the Armed Forces in acts of service.

During the first session of connections with units on permanent domestic missions, the King of Spain spoke with leaders from the Spanish Army at Operations Command Melilla. He also connected with the Maritime Action Ship "Relámpago", as well as the Central Operations and Command Group of the Spanish Air Force.

As he did after each of the subsequent connections, King Felipe VI spoke a few words of gratitude and reflection for each one of the missions and even asked a few personal questions.

Detachments overseas

During a second session of connections with overseas operations, King Felipe received reports from Brigadier General Marcos Llago, Chief of the Spanish contingent in Lebanon, and Colonel César García, Chief of the Spanish contingent in Bismayah, Iraq, on behalf of the Spanish Army.

On behalf of the Spanish Air Force, H.M. the King of Spain received a further report from the Chief of the Spanish detachment deployed in Vilkas, Lithuania, where aircraft from the 15th Wing are stationed on a support mission for our allies. Rear Admiral Ignacio Villanueva, Force Commander for Operation Atalanta on board the Frigate "Numancia", spoke on behalf of the Spanish Navy contingents deployed on operations overseas.

Operation "Balmis"

The videoconference continued with a third session of connections to units taking part in Operation "Balmis" to combat COVID-19.

Leaders responsible for participation in this operation from the 7th "Galicia" Brigade and the 1st NBC Defence Regiment took part in this session on behalf of the Spanish Army, as well as the Security Unit of Canary Islands Naval Command. On behalf of the Spanish Air Force, the session was attended by Commander Manuel Navarro, who was the Mission Chief for the first flight to China on board an A400M aircraft to bring healthcare equipment to Spain.

The videoconference also included connections with leaders from the Technological and Environmental Emergency Intervention Team and the Rapid Identification Laboratory from Hall 14 at the IFEMA Conference Centre.

Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Guard, José Manuel Salom, explained the support provided by this unit to Operation "Balmis". Finally, Brigadier General and Director of the Central Military Hospital, Miguel Fernández, closed the connections with participating units on behalf of the General Inspectorate of Military Health.

Hope and confidence

In turn, the Minister for Defence then spoke a few words to express "infinite gratitude to the Armed Forces for their generosity during the COVID crisis". Margarita Robles highlighted their dedication and full integration with the rest of Spanish society, underlining the recognition from all Spaniards for their efforts.

Besides this specific contingency, the Spanish minister also expressed gratitude to the men and women of the Armed Forces for the work they do every day.

After the speeches, King Felipe VI sent a message of hope and confidence in the future to all military personnel in reflection of the chosen slogan for Armed Forces Day this year: 'Together for a better future'. "Although tough and uncertain times still lie ahead, together we are overcoming the most significant crisis in our recent history", said the King of Spain. "But we are a great country that always tackles difficulties head on to overcome them successfully", he added.

"I encourage you to continue working shoulder-to-shoulder with the rest of society, with the same passion and determination, and with the firm conviction that there is no crisis we cannot overcome together. Your commitment to society, combined with the professionalism and humanity you have demonstrated in fighting the virus, will forever be a fine example and a source of pride for us all", he said.

Following the video-conference, H.M. the King of Spain and the Minister for Defence, the Chief of Defence Staff (Spanish acronym: JEMAD), the State Secretary for Defence and the Chiefs of Staff of the Army and Navy stood for the traditional group photograph to celebrate Spanish Armed Forces Day.

Non official translation