Celebration of Italy's National Day at the Combined Air Operations Centre in Torrejón

• Italy was represented by the First Secretary of the Italian Embassy in Spain.

The Combined Air Operations Centre of Torrejón (CAOC T) has commemorated the Italian National Day the "Festa della Repubblica". A military ceremony in which the traditional act of hoisting the Italian national flag took place.

The First Secretary of Italy in Spain, Pasquele Attolico, was received by the Commander of the CAOC T, Lieutenant General Juan Pablo Sanchez de Lara.

The attending authorities addressed a few words to the personnel taking part in the military ceremony.

During his speech, Lieutenant General Sanchez de Lara thanked the Italian First Secretary for his participation in the ceremony commemorating Italy's National Day. The General thanked the Italian representative for his nation's contribution to the reinforced air surveillance mission as well as to the other activities carried out by the CAOCT to guarantee the security of the airspace of allied countries on Europe's southern flank.

To conclude the ceremony, in his speech the Italian First Secretary thanked Spain in general and CAOC Torrejón in particular for the mission carried out from the centre in the common objective of the collective defence of the Alliance's sovereign airspace, especially in the current security context. The Italian First Secretary underlined the need to maintain the progress achieved since NATO's founding, ensuring the security of free citizens who share democratic values and a firm commitment to security and peace.

Combined Air Operations Centre Torrejón (NATO)

The main mission of CAOC Torrejon, 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, following the directives of the Commander of the NATO Air Command to which it reports and with the resources assigned to the Alliance by the nations in peacetime.

The Spanish Armed Forces make an important contribution to this centre's mission. Some 120 Spanish military personnel serve in the CAOC as well as in the National Support Element and the NATO Communications and Information Agency Unit.