ESP CHOD visits Spanish troops deployed in Iraq and Turkey

• Admiral general López Calderón acknowledges the work of the military deployed in both countries

Chief of Defence Staff, admiral general Teodoro Esteban López Calderón, has paid a visit to the contingents deployed in Iraq and Turkey. 

ESP CHOD began his visit at the BDSC (Baghdad Diplomatic Support Centre), where he was addressed a presentation on the missions and capabilities of the "Iraq Support" operation, led by General Carlos Salgado.

The following day, Admiral lópez Calderón travelled to Al Asad AFB to witness first hand the work of Task Force 'Toro', the Spanish helicopter unit deployed in the country in support of Operation Inherent Resolve and NATO Mission Iraq (NMI). 

During his stay in Iraq, the ESP CHOD met the Minister for Defence and held meetings with his Iraqi counterpart, Lieutenant General Abdul Amir Rashid Yarallah Yusef Al Kalami, and the head of the Counter Terrorism Service (CTS), General Adb al-Wahab Abd al-Zahran Zabun al-Saidi. 

He was also hosted at Base 'Union III' by the Deputy Commander of Operation Center Iraq (JOC-I), Lieutenant General Abdulameer Kamil Abdullah Al Shemiry, NMI's Deputy Commander, General Donal Bevis, and Commander of Joint Task Force - Operation Inherent Resolve (JTFOIR), General John W. Brennan.

During the second stage of his trip in Turkey, ESP CHOD visited Incirlik AFB, where he toured the compound of the Spanish contingent within Operation 'Support to Turkey'. Admiral López Calderón witnessed first hand how the mission is conducted and how the resources are distributed to guarantee the defence of the city of Adana´s airspace. After the visit, ESP CHOD addressed the Spanish troops to acknowledge their hard work and effort, which contribute to increasing Spain's prestige in the Alliance. He also highlighted the important maintenance work carried out to ensure the proper status of systems and hardware, which allows continuing a mission that has been ongoing for seven years now.