The Acting Minister of Defense, Margarita Robles, has assisted in the Base de Retamares, located in the municipality of Pozuelo de Alarcón and headquarters of the Operations Command (MOPS) of the General Staff of the Defense, to an information session to update the Ongoing missions developed by the Armed Forces.
Robles, accompanied by Secretary of State for Defense, Angel Olivares, has been received by Lieutenant General Fernando Lopez del Pozo, commander of MOPS, who has exposed the characteristics, entity and objectives of the most significant operations currently carried out by Armies and the Navy.
The informative session has been divided into two blocks, beginning with those missions that are carried out continuously in the national territory and that are oriented towards the security and defense of the maritime and air spaces and the permanent presence in the terrestrial sphere. Subsequently, the international operations that have the presence of Spanish soldiers have been detailed.
Lieutenant General López del Pozo, during his speech, analyzed the participation of Spain in the mission of the European Union in Mali, to which our country contributes the largest contingent in a clear commitment to a conflict zone such as the Sahel.
Another of the missions dealt with was that of the United Nations in Lebanon, which has been active since 2006 and has allowed it to enjoy the longest period of peace since the 1970s.
The mission of fighting piracy off the coast of Somalia has also been addressed in depth, which has succeeded in eradicating attacks on ships in this very important way of communication, such as the Arabian Sea and involving naval and airships, directed by a multinational headquarters in the Base de Rota, in Cádiz, under the command of a Spanish admiral.
The Minister has also been informed of the current state of the dissuasion and defense missions on the northern flank of NATO, consisting of the deployment of armored units and air assets in Latvia and Lithuania, respectively; or the training mission to the Armed Forces and support to Iraq's institutions.
The Minister of Defense has praised the great work done by the men and women of the Armed Forces in the peace missions. Margarita Robles also wanted to highlight the commitment of the Armed Forces to peace and security in the world, now that 30 years have passed since the first international mission carried out by Spanish soldiers.