OPV Audaz receives a visit from the Commander of the Operations Command

•  The Spanish Navy vessel is conducting maritime presence in Spanish sovereign territories in North Africa within the framework of Presence, Surveillance and Deterrence Operations

The Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) Audaz, while integrated into the Presence, Surveillance and Deterrence Operations, received the visit of the Commander of the Operations Command (CMOPS), Lieutenant General José Antonio Agüero Martínez, accompanied by his Chief of Staff, Vice Admiral Enrique Núñez de Prado Aparicio, and the Commander of the Maritime Operational Command (MOM), Vice Admiral Vicente Cuquerella Gamboa.

The ship’s Commanding Officer welcomed them on board and gave them a briefing on the Audaz’s current situation, with particular emphasis on the Maritime Security Operation in which the vessel has been integrated since 27 December. During this activation, the ship has conducted active naval presence around Alboran Island and in Spanish sovereign territories in North Africa, where it has provided support to Spanish Navy and Spanish Army detachments. The vessel also contributes to the defence of natural resources and the prevention of any illegal activity that could jeopardise the security of waters of national interest.

While the authorities were on board, exercises were carried out to intercept units of interest while the Maritime Force Protection Team focused on maintaining a presence in Spanish sovereign waters in North Africa and ensuring combat readiness for emergencies at sea due to internal security incidents. The visit concluded with the signing of the guest book in the captain's cabin.

The OPV Audaz is the first of two Offshore Patrol Vessels assigned to the Maritime Action Units Command in Cartagena (MARCART), under the direct authority of the Admiral of Maritime Action (ALMART).The vessel is commanded by Lieutenant Commander Fernando Rodríguez García and has a core crew of 55 personnel, together with an embarked Security Team composed of seven Marines from the Levante Tercio of the Spanish Navy Force Protection Unit.

During this deployment, the 62 sailors on board OPV Audaz, integrated into the Maritime Operational Command (MOM) and under the operational control of the Commander of the Operations Command have also conducted operational activities in other areas of the Alboran Sea and the Gulf of Cádiz, with the aim of enhancing maritime domain awareness and monitoring maritime traffic, among other tasks.

Maritime Operational Command and Presence, Surveillance and Deterrence Operations

The Maritime Operational Command is part of the operational structure of the Armed Forces. It reports to the Chief of Defence Staff and is responsible, at its level, for planning, conducting and monitoring operations involving presence, surveillance and deterrence in maritime areas of sovereignty, responsibility and national interest. It is under the command of the Admiral of Maritime Action, Vice Admiral Vicente Cuquerella Gamboa, and is based in Cartagena.

Integrated into the Maritime Operational Command, various Navy vessels carry out, under the operational control of the Operations Command, Presence, Surveillance and Deterrence Operations, which are an effective tool for maintaining surveillance of areas of sovereignty and interest, increasing awareness of the maritime environment, contributing to its comprehensive protection, alongside other state institutions, and also detecting threats in advance and facilitating an immediate and viable response to a potential crisis.

Together with the Maritime Operations Command, the Land, Air, Space and Cyberspace Operations Commands make up the Permanent Commands structure. On a daily basis, around 850 military personnel from the Armed Forces take part in permanent operations, which are carried out under the operational control of the Operations Command.