Members of the Council of State visit Operations Command

• The Chief of Defence, a member of the Council, receives the delegation together with the Commander of the Operations Command.

The President of the Council of State, Magdalena Valerio, together with 13 members of the Council, visited the Operations Command to learn first-hand about the missions of the 3,000 military personnel deployed abroad, as well as the men and women of the Armed Forces involved in Presence, Surveillance and Deterrence Operations, in defence of our land, sea, air and cyberspace spaces.

On their arrival at the Retamares base they were received by the Chief of Defence, Admiral General Teodoro Esteban López Calderón, who is also NATO Advisor, and by the Commander of the Operations Command (CMOPS), Lieutenant General Francisco Braco Carbó.

The CHOD was grateful for the presence of the Council of State, since it is essential that the institutions of the State and society as a whole know "what we do and why we do it, since the security and defence of Spain is an issue that involves us all".

For her part, Magdalena Valerio said that this visit "is a great opportunity, because getting to know the work of our Armed Forces means getting to know one of Spain's great institutions".

Lieutenant General Francisco Braco gave the members of the Council an update on the operations being carried out. The CMOPS explained from the organisation of the operational structure to the levels of planning and conduct of an operation; the daily work of the more than 3,000 military personnel involved in Presence, Surveillance and Deterrence Operations on national territory and of the 3,000 men and women deployed in the 17 operations abroad; and, finally, the instruction and training activities that are carried out.

To conclude the visit, the members of the Council of State visited the JOC or Joint Coordination Center, from where operations are monitored 24/7, but which is also active in special missions, such as Operation 'Balmis', the evacuation of collaborating personnel from Afghanistan or the rescue operation 'NEO' in Sudan