Coast Artillery Regiment No. 4 (RACTA 4) deploys in Almería

• Integrated into the Maritime Operational Command, the Regiment will deploy as a Coastal Defence Unit between 14 and 22 May.

The Coastal Artillery Regiment No. 4 (RACTA 4), belonging to the Field Artillery Command, will constitute a Coastal Defence Unit, reinforcing the Maritime Operational Command in the surveillance capacity of national sovereignty spaces, complementing the real-time control of maritime traffic in the Almeria area.

The deployment will integrate the command and control elements and 155/52 howitzers from the I/4 Coast Artillery Group of San Fernando with the identification and tracking elements from Tarifa. The location of this deployment will be divided between the Álvarez de Sotomayor base, its manoeuvre and firing range and the vicinity of the port of Almería.

RACTA 4 is the only Army unit that is equipped and trained to generate coastal defence and control capacity at any point of the national geography, or in any other place where international commitments require it.

The mobility of materiel and the liaison capability of transmission means are what give this unit its strong expeditionary character, reinforced thanks to units that provide immediate defence on deployment. In this case, the unit in charge will be a company of the Infantry Regiment ‘La Reina’ No. 2, of the Guzmán el Bueno X Brigade, based in Córdoba, with support and protection duties.

Maritime Operational Command (MOM)

The MOM is the organisation of the operational structure of the Armed Forces, subordinate to the Chief of Defence Staff (JEMAD), responsible for planning, conducting and monitoring surveillance and security operations in maritime areas of sovereignty, responsibility and national interest. It is under the command of the Admiral of Maritime Action (ALMART) and is based in Cartagena.

Presence, Surveillance and Deterrence Operations

Presence, Surveillance and Deterrence Operations are an effective tool for maintaining surveillance of sovereign spaces, which enables an early detection of threats and facilitates an immediate and viable response to a potential crisis.

The Land (MOT), Maritime (MOM), Air (MOA), Cyberspace (MOC) and the recently created Space (MOESPA) Operational Commands make up the Permanent Command structure. On a daily basis, some 3,000 Armed Forces personnel are involved in permanent operations, under the operational control of the Operations Command.