Slovak Secretary of State for Defence visits Combined Air Operations Centre in Torrejón

• The Slovak Secretary of State for Defence thanked the CAOC commander for the service rendered by the centre to the common goal of collective defence of the Alliance

Slovak Secretary of State for Defence, Marian Majer, accompanied by the Slovak Ambassador to Spain, Jaroslav Blaško, and a mixed delegation composed of Slovak Ministry of Defence staff and embassy staff, visited this morning the NATO Combined Air Operations Centre in Spain (CAOC TJ).

The delegation was received on arrival at the CAOC by the commander, Lieutenant General Fernando de la Cruz. After the signature of the Secretary of State in the book of honour and a brief dispatch, Lieutenant General De la Cruz gave a presentation on the mission and capabilities of the centre to the Slovak delegation. This presentation was completed with a visit to the operations room, where operations were explained and examples of real activities were shown.

The Secretary of State has shown special interest in knowing how the centre operates, as well as the resources and means available to the CAOC in order to carry out its tasks.

The delegation's visit ended with a tour of the bunker, where the members had the opportunity to learn about the different potential and capabilities of the facilities.

The Slovak Secretary of State for Defence thanked the CAOC commander for the service rendered by the centre to the common goal of collective defence of the Alliance. He also thanked the centre’s personnel for their efforts and dedication to this end. 

Combined Air Operations Centre-Torrejón

The main mission of CAOC-Torrejón, under the direct command of a Spanish Air Force lieutenant general, is to plan, direct, coordinate, supervise, analyse and report on air defence operations in Southern Europe, following the directives of NATO´s Air Component.

The Spanish Armed Forces make an important contribution to the mission carried out by this centre. Some 120 Spanish military personnel serve in the CAOC as well as in the National Support Element (NSE) and the NATO Communications and Information Agency Unit (NCIA).