New edition of the charity race 'Vigil Run' in memory of the fallen on duty.

• The race, organized by the Spanish unit of the Combined Air Operations Center, have participated various units from the Torrejón Air Base and other nations

With the aim of remembering all those who have fallen in the line of duty, as well as to highlight the solidarity of the allied countries, a new edition of the charity race 'Vigil Run' was held at the Torrejón Air Base sports facilities.

The race, organized by the CAOC Torrejón, is held annually and is attended by members of the various units deployed at the Torrejón Air Base and the 18 nations represented at the Combined Air Operations Center.

The event began with a speech by Lieutenant General Fernando de la Cruz, Commander of the NATO unit in Spain, in memory of those who have disappeared in the line of duty. As a mark of respect, participants observed a minute's silence before the start of the race. Then, personnel belonging to the units deployed at the Base and CAOC Torrejón personnel started the run organized in groups and in batches of 20 minutes each, being the total duration of the race 7 hours. The last group to participate was made up of the most distinguished national representatives stationed at the CAOC Torrejón.

At the closing of the event, General De la Cruz thanked the runners for their participation and their contribution to the charity cause. The donations collected will go to an organization of this nature.

COMBINED AIR OPERATIONS CENTRE -TORREJON

The main mission of CAOC Torrejón, under the direct command of a Lieutenant General of the Spanish Air and Space Army, is to plan, direct, coordinate, supervise, analyse and report on air defence operations in Southern Europe, with the resources assigned to it in peacetime, following the directives of the NATO Air Component.

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