Visit of His Majesty King Felipe VI to the 'Ceuta' Combat Training Unit of the EU Military Assistance Mission to Ukraine

•  Chief of Defence (JEMAD in Spanish), Admiral Teodoro López Calderón has accompanied King Felipe VI

His Majesty King Felipe VI visited the 'Ceuta' Combat Training Unit (CTU) at the Infantry Academy in Toledo. This unit is currently responsible for training Ukrainian military personnel through various courses conducted in Toledo.

The Chief of Defence, Admiral Teodoro E. López Calderón, accompanied His Majesty King Felipe VI during the visit, where they observed various training and instructional activities conducted at the Infantry Academy's Maneuver and Firing Range.

Upon the conclusion of these exercises, King Felipe VI held a meeting with the Spanish and Portuguese instructors delivering the courses, as well as with the Ukrainian personnel undergoing the training.

During this meeting, the Ukrainian soldiers presented His Majesty the King with an embroidered shirt, a traditional gift given by Ukrainian mothers to their sons when they depart for the frontlines.

EUMAM UA, support to Ukraine

The EU Military Assistance Mission in Support of Ukraine (EUMAM Ukraine) was approved by Council Decision on 17 October 2022. It aims to strengthen the capabilities of the Ukrainian Armed Forces to defend the territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders and to deter and respond to possible future military offensives by Russia and other potential aggressors. EUMAM works closely with all other international akin partners to provide training support to the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

Likewise, the EUMAM is also open to participation by third States. All mission activities are carried out on EU soil. So far, 24 EU Member States, notably Spain, have offered training modules and personnel to the Ukrainian Army.

In Spain, these training activities are directed by the Toledo Training Coordination Centre (TTCC) -under the direction of the Operations Command, to which it reports organically-, which coordinates its activities with different international structures, both within the scope of the European Union and in the framework of multinational agreements. Since the start of this European mission, Spain has expanded the range of courses, which are now being conducted across various units of the Spanish Armed Forces. To date, the mission has trained over 7,000 Ukrainian soldiers since the launch of the TTCC in November 2022.

The TTCC consists of a Headquarters in Burgos, on which the Combat Training Unit (UFC) in Toledo depends, which is permanent and carries out basic training and different specific courses, and the Training Modules (TM), which are activated to provide instruction in the specialities that are requested. These courses take place in the facilities that the Armed Forces and the Navy have in different training centres distributed throughout Spain.

The Spanish Armed Forces have extensive experience in training missions for Armed Forces personnel and security forces from other countries, such as Iraq, Mali, Central African Republic and Somalia, among others.