'The activation of 'Synergy 01-22' indicates our high degree of interoperability in the security of Spain'

• The Commander of the Operations Command has presented the operational activities carried out in the Canary Islands, within the framework of Permanent Operations

Every day of the year, the Operations Command (MOPS) has more than 3,000 military personnel involved in the security of our territory, territorial sea, airspace, outer space and cyberspace. These are the Permanent Surveillance and Security Operations, whose capabilities were put to the test between 22 and 26 May on seven of the eight islands of the Canary Islands in the 'Synergy 01-22' activation.

In addition to maintaining the usual alert, personnel and material resources from the Army, Navy and Air Force carried out various activities to improve interoperability between the Permanent Operational Commands for Land (MOT), Maritime (MOM), Aerospace (MOA) and Cyberspace (MOC).

Spanish society should know that its Armed Forces are on duty 24 hours a day for the security of all. And if their presence is not noticed, it is because it has not been necessary to intervene, and we are fulfilling our objectives,' explained Lieutenant General Francisco Braco Carbó, CMOPS, who, together with the Commanders of the Operational Commands, presented the operational activities that the Canary Islands society has been able to witness during these days. Activities that the Chief of Defence Staff, Admiral General Teodoro López Calderón, was able to witness first-hand during an exhibition of capabilities.

To do this, personnel from all the Operational Commands were involved in a tactical scenario involving a cyber-attack and the tracking of suspicious personnel in the vicinity of a key communications infrastructure in the Isleta area, with the location and identification of a non-improvised explosive device, which during its deactivation caused their own casualties and required urgent evacuation by helicopter. Meanwhile, the Maritime Action Vessel 'Relámpago' and the F18s of the 48th Wing integrated in the 'Synergy 01-22' activation ensured the security of the maritime and air spaces in the area. This type of medical evacuation must be carried out in less than an hour, so all the procedures must be perfectly coordinated, as we have been able to verify,' emphasised Admiral General López Calderón.

In addition, the JEMAD was able to attend a 'friendly approach' to a 'suspicious' merchant vessel - simulated on the Maritime Action Vessel 'Rayo' - by the Marine Infantry Security Operational Team. Upon arrival, a boarding of the vessel was carried out when its crew resisted, initiating the full security procedure established for these circumstances.

'In order to meet the new security challenges, Permanent Operations are based on permanent presence and vigilance to achieve adequate knowledge of the environment and, by means of an appropriate system of indicators and alerts, to be able to anticipate the advent of any crisis. The reaction to an eventual crisis must be agile and the response comprehensive to achieve unity of action and the combination of effects between the physical operational domains (land, maritime and aerospace), the non-physical (cyberspace) and new conceptual dimensions such as cognitive,' said Commander Justo Solano of the MOPS Operations Section.

Only with fully equipped, prepared and enlisted Joint Forces will it be possible to guarantee the security of all Spaniards, the defence of our territories and areas of national sovereignty and jurisdiction and the safeguarding of our interests.

Activation 'Synergy 01-22'

In this activation, all the Command and Forces bodies of the Joint Force Core-1 (NFC-1) will operate jointly, under the operational control of the Operations Command (MOPS). Its objective is to contribute to ensuring and improving the integration of all the capabilities of the permanent operational commands by promoting synergies, maximising unit training and improving integration and interoperability procedures.

This will guarantee the permanent surveillance of areas of sovereignty and national interest, including land, maritime, aerospace and cyberspace. 

To do this, land, maritime, air and cyberspace units will be deployed to coordinate and exchange procedures in a simulated crisis situation, during which they will have to interact in order to increase their knowledge of the environment of the Canary Islands.

During the 'Synergy 01-22' activation, as in all Armed Forces operations, all measures have been taken to guarantee maximum security, both personal and operational, to minimise the likelihood of any type of incident. Likewise, measures to respect and care for the environment are also complied with.

Armed Forces’ Standing Operations

Las Operaciones Permanentes son la herramienta más eficaz para mantener en el tiempo un conocimiento de los espacios de soberanía e interés, lo que permite detectar anticipadamente amenazas y facilitar una respuesta inmediata y viable ante una crisis.

Los Mandos Operativos Terrestre (MOT), Marítimo (MOM), Aeroespacial (MOA) y Ciberespacial (MOC) conforman la estructura de Mandos Permanentes.

Dichos mandos cuentan con más de 3.000 militares implicados diariamente a estas operaciones, que buscan tener un buen conocimiento del entorno al tiempo que garantizan una respuesta inmediata los 365 días del año ante cualquier incidencia que surja, y todo ello buscando preservar la seguridad de todos los españoles.