Celebration of Slovenia`s National day at the Torrejón Combined Air Operation Centre (CAOC T)

• The Slovenian Ambassador to Spain, Robert Krmelj, has attended the military ceremony held in observance of his country's National Day.

The Slovenian Ambassador to Spain, Robert Krmelj, visited the Combined Air Operations Centre (CAOC T) to commemorate the anniversary of the Slovenian Declaration of Independence, which will take place on the 25th of June. He was greeted on his arrival at the centre by the Commander of the CAOC Torrejón, Lieutenant General Juan Pablo Sanchez de Lara.

The CAOC Commander had a brief meeting with the Slovenian Ambassador. The meeting was followed by the observance of the Slovenian National Day with a military ceremony in which all CAOC personnel, personnel of the NCIA detachment at the CAOC as well as the various national support elements took part. The military ceremony included the traditional hoisting of the flag.

During the addresses, General Sánchez de Lara thanked the Slovenian representative for his participation in the military event and for his official visit to the Centre. The Commander also thanked Slovenia for its contribution to the joint effort to defend the democratic values shared by the Allies, highlighting NATO's solidarity and cohesion in its Integrated Air and Missile Defence mission by pooling air defence capabilities to ensure the security of Slovenian airspace.

For his part, the Slovenian Ambassador emphasized that his country is a reliable member and reaffirmed Slovenia's commitment to ensuring the security of all NATO members and to continuing to contribute actively to NATO's other common goals and interests.

COMBINED AIR OPERATIONS CENTRE OF TORREJÓN

The main mission of the Torrejón CAOC, under the direct command of a Lieutenant General of the Spanish Air Force, 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. Some 120 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).