Celebration of the Greek National Day at the Combined Air Operations Centre Torrejon

• The Commander-in-Chief of the Centre thanked the Greek Ambassador for his country's contribution to the collective defence of European airspace on the Southern Flank

The Greek Ambassador to Spain, Ilias Fotopoulos, accompanied by the military attaché, Captain Marios Arvanitakis, visited the NATO Combined Air Operations Centre in Spain (CAOCT).

Both representatives were received on their arrival at the CAOCT by the Commander-in-Chief of the Unit, Lieutenant General Fernando de la Cruz. After a brief briefing, General De la Cruz invited the Greek delegation to participate in the military event in commemoration of the Greek National Day.

In his address, General De la Cruz congratulated the Greek community on the celebration of its bank holidays. Likewise, he emphasised Greece's commitment with the Alliance since it joined it in 1952, especially in the defence of the space on the Southern Flank of Europe.

The Greek ambassador thanked the CAOCT staff for their contribution to the security of European skies through the permanent surveillance of their area of responsibility on the Southern Flank. The ambassador also thanked Spain for its strong commitment to protect the interests of the Alliance and for its support to the Greek community deployed in the CAOCT.

COMBINED AIR OPERATIONS CENTRE TORREJON

The main purposes of CAOCTJ, under the direct command of a Spanish Lieutenant General of the Air and Space Army, is to plan, direct, coordinate, supervise, analyse and report on air defence operations in southern Europe. It follows the directives of NATO’s Air Component Command on which it depends and carries them out with the resources allocated by nations to NATO during peacetime.

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