Activation of the Presence, Surveillance and Deterrence Battle Groups in the Canary Islands, Ceuta, Melilla and the Balearic Islands.

•  The Balearic Islands joined these operations in 2025. They guarantee the security of the territories and their populations outside the mainland.

The Land Operational Command is carrying out the deployment of Battle Groups and Tactical Subgroups conducting Presence, Surveillance, and Deterrence Operations in the non-mainland territories, covering the Canary Islands, Ceuta, and Melilla, and also incorporating for the first time theBalearic Islands since the beginning of the year.

‘Canarias’ Battle Group

The Canary Islands Battle Group has two sub-groups, one in Lanzarote, made up of soldiers from the 'Soria' 9 Infantry Regiment, and another in La Gomera, with troops from the 'Tenerife' 49 Infantry Regiment.

Their main task is to maintain a military presence throughout the archipelago, by means of patrols and reconnaissance activities, particularly on those islands where there is no permanent military presence, encouraging contact with the public.

Battle Groups ‘Ceuta’ and ‘Melilla’

In Ceuta, two sub-groups and a battle group have been activated, made up of personnel from the 'Grupo de Regulares de Ceuta' n. º 54 and the 3rd 'Montesa' Cavalry Regiment.  Similarly, in Melilla, two sub-groups and a battle group have been activated, made up of military personnel from various units, including the 1st Tercio of the 'Gran Capitan' Legion, the 32nd Mixed Artillery Regiment and the 52nd Regulars Group of Melilla.

These missions are now commonplace in these Spanish cities; they allow all its members to have a perfect knowledge of the terrain. Through their work, they help to guarantee the freedom, rights and well-being of all citizens.

‘Baleares’ tactical subgroup

In 2025, for the first time, the General Command of the Balearic Islands has been integrated into the Land Operations Command as the Balearic Operations Command. In its first surveillance and deterrence operation, a platoon of soldiers from the "Palma" 47 Infantry Regiment was deployed on the island of Mallorca.

This represents an intensification of the presence on all the islands of the archipelago in order to improve the knowledge of the environment, to carry out surveillance tasks and to make progress in institutional relations with a view to supporting the civil authorities.

The Land Operations Command

The Land Operational Command (MOT) is the Armed Forces body responsible for planning, conducting and monitoring all these operations under the operational control of the Operations Command.

Presence, Surveillance and Deterrence operations are an effective tool for maintaining surveillance over areas of national sovereignty, enabling the early detection of threats and facilitating an immediate and viable response to a potential crisis.

The Operations Command 

The Operations Command, under the command of the Defense Staff, is responsible for planning and directing permanent operations within the national territory designed to ensure presence, maintain surveillance, and create deterrence in both terrestrial and maritime spaces, as well as in air, space, and cyberspace. To achieve these objectives, it has subordinate Operational Commands: Land (MOT), Maritime (MOM), Air (MOA), Space (MOESPA), and Cyberspace (MOC).