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Foreign operations

The Spanish Armed Forces plan to maintain the level of operations abroad during 2024, including the ongoing command of UNIFIL Lebanon, EUNAVFOR Atalanta and NMI in Iraq.

It will be involved in 16 overseas missions, with an average of 3,000 military personnel deployed on four continents.

Under UN command, Spanish military personnel are part of the mission in Lebanon (the largest, with 700 military personnel) in which they lead the eastern sector, and also participate in the UN mission in Colombia.

Within the NATO framework, as a consequence of the implementation of the new NATO Force Model, in 2024 Spain will be leading the battlegroup of the FLF-Slovakia operation. Thus, the current deployment within the Euro-Atlantic territory will be increased to 1,700 military personnel, including those of the current ground contingent in FLF-Latvia. In addition to these deployments, there will be contributions to NATO's standing naval forces (SNMG and SNMCMG), air policing and surveillance arrangements (Eap-Romania) and air defense support in the Baltic countries (BAP) and in A/T-Turkiye.

Additionally, Spain is present in all European Union military missions in Africa, with deployments Central African Republic, Somalia and Senegal, as well as in Operation Atalanta, which fights piracy across the Indian Ocean, deploying human and material resources belonging to the Navy and the Air Force, all conducted from the ES-OHQ located at the Rota Naval Base.

The following map shows the authorized participation of Spanish military personnel in operations abroad by the year 2024:

 

INTERACTIVE MAP: Click on each mission to learn more.

  NATO naval groupings African deployment African deployment Operation Sea Guardian MVNUC Support to Mali EUTM-RCA EUMAM-Mozambique UNIFIL EUTM-Somalia EUNAVFOR 'Atalanta' Inherent resolve / NMI Persistent Effort Forward Land Forces EUFOR - Althea

Summary of deployments where Spain is involved

Location Mission Starting  Command
Mediterranean Sea SNMG1 / SNMG2 / SNMCMG2 Jan-2017 OTAN
Several operational areas Coperative Security Activities  
Several operational areas Coodinated Maritime Presences  
Several operation areas Sea Guardian  Nov-2016 OTAN
Colombia Mission UN Aug-2012 ONU
Senegal Support to Mali Jan-2013 Unón Europea
Central African Republic EUTM-RCA Jul-2016 Unón Europea
Mozambique EUMAM-Mozambique Nov-2021 Unón Europea
Lebanon UNIFIL Sep-2006 ONU
Somalia EUTM-Somalia Jan-2010 Unón Europea
Indian Ocean EUNAVFOR ATALANTA Sep-2008 Unón Europea
Iraq Inherent Resolve Oct-2014 OTAN
Eastern Flank Persistent Effort Sep-2014 OTAN
Eastern Flank Forward Land Presence Feb-2021 OTAN
Bosnia i Herzegovina EUFOR Althea Dec-2004 OTAN

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