Spanish personnel complete their rotation in the EU Military Assistance Mission in Mozambique

• The outgoing team has been key in designing the pioneering Mentoring Directive and creating the Extended Training Zone, which enables maximum tactical realism during manoeuvres

After six months of operational and logistical work, Lieutenant Colonel Bernardo González‑Lázaro Sueiras and Commander César Palomo Bernardos hand over to Lieutenant Colonel Luis Fernando Laguna Garín and Commander José Javier Valentín Cano, who will assume responsibilities as heads of the training and mentoring area and the logistics area, respectively, within the European Union Military Assistance Mission in Mozambique (EUMAM MOZ).

The outgoing officers have focused their efforts on collective success and multinational team spirit, earning explicit recognition from their commanders and European partners.

Mission evolution: from training to assistance

In recent years, the European military engagement in the region has undergone a profound strategic evolution. Following the success of the initial mission, the structure transitioned into the current EUMAM MOZ, shifting from a train‑and‑equip model to a complex architecture of assistance and mentoring. This transformation enables the sustainable regeneration and genuine autonomy of the Mozambique Defence Armed Forces (FADM) in their fight against jihadist terrorism in the northern province of Cabo Delgado.

In this context, the work of the Spanish officers completing their tour has been essential in driving decisive milestones in the training of Mozambique’s Quick Reaction Forces (QRF).

Integrated into a multinational effort involving 12 nations, their contribution has stood out for significant conceptual and operational achievements:

• Mentoring Directive: The outgoing Spanish contingent contributed to drafting and implementing a pioneering document unique among EU missions. This directive fully standardises training through a ‘diagnosis‑based mentoring’ model, adapting instruction to the harsh reality faced by veteran combatants returning from the front.
• Extended Training Zone (ETZ): The mission’s J7 branch proposed and implemented this concept south of Katembe base, overcoming long‑standing space limitations and enabling maximum tactical realism in manoeuvres. Materialised through ‘Operation Southern Reach’, the ETZ allows realistic combat simulations adapted to the complex terrain of Cabo Delgado.
• ‘Operation Clear Commitment’: The Spanish contingent has been a key element in this initiative, which conditions the expansion of European military assistance on the fulfilment of strict metrics and requirements by the FADM, such as proper personnel generation, intelligence sharing and logistical decentralisation.

New challenges and the future of the mission

Lieutenant Colonel Laguna Garín and Commander Valentín Cano now assume leadership of their respective areas. With the current EUMAM MOZ mandate established until December 2026, their mission will be to continue these projects, take an active role in the operational assessment that will define the future of Brussels’ support to the region, and build on the efforts of their predecessors to ensure that Mozambican forces consolidate peace and stability in the African nation.