Combined Air Operations Center Torrejon celebrates Montenegro National Day.

• The Chargé d'Affaires of the Embassy of Montenegro in Spain stressed the importance for her country of defending the collective interests of the Alliance.

The Chargé d'Affaires of the Embassy of Montenegro in Spain, Milica Djurikovic, headed the delegation that today visited the Combined Air Operations Center of Torrejón (CAOCT) to commemorate the National Day of Montenegro. A day to celebrate the independence of the state union that this country formed with Serbia since 1918, which was declared on May 21, 2006.

Upon arrival at the CAOCT, the delegation was received by the Commander-in-Chief of the Unit, Lieutenant General Juan Pablo Sanchez de Lara. After the meeting, in which the authorities discussed current issues, a simple military ceremony was held in commemoration of the National Day of Montenegro with the traditional flag raising.

During his speech, General Sanchez de Lara thanked the Montenegrin representative for her participation in the military event and for her first official visit to the Center. The Commander also thanked Montenegro for its contribution to the collective effort to defend the airspace of responsibility on the southern flank and for its defense of the democratic values shared by the allies.

After a brief historical review during his speech, in which he reviewed the importance of the also called "State Day", the representative of the Montenegrin embassy, Milica Djurikovic, has underlined the pride of her country to contribute to the collective effort of the common defense of the borders and interests shared by the members of the Alliance.

Combined Air Operations Center of Torrejón (NATO)

The Torrejón CAOC, under the direct command of a lieutenant general of the Spanish Air and Space Army, has as its main mission to plan, direct, coordinate, supervise, analyze and report on air defense operations in Southern Europe, following the directives of the NATO Air Command Commander to whom it reports and with the means assigned to NATO by the nations in peacetime.

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