GENERAL HERNÁNDEZ ABADÍA DE BARBARÁ CHAIRS THE LAUNCH MEETING OF THE PERMANENT COOPERATION PROJECT ROLE 2F

• Spain leads, within the context of the European Presidency, the development of the ROLE 2F project with a quick roll-out capability.

On the 30th and 31st of October, the launch meeting of the Permanent Structured Cooperation Project (PESCO) ROLE2F took place in the framework of the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

The main goal of this meeting was to define the framework in which PESCO was offered to the nations, i.e. a project for the conceptual implementation of the ROLE 2 Forward - FST R2F health capacity, as another component of the 'strategic enabler' that forms part of the health capabilities, applied to the generic operational scenarios established in the Strategic Compass for Rapid Deployment Capacity, and to obtain the necessary comments from the different nations to start the work and the decision making process for the 'road map' for the project.

PESCO ROLE 2F, in which Bulgaria, France, Portugal, Finland, Sweden and Spain are participants, with Italy, Germany, Hungary, Greece and Poland as observers, is part of the PESCOs, which aim to develop military capabilities, in this case health, within a more robust and cooperative defence and security industry in Europe. Belgium has also shown interest in the project and sent a representative to the meeting.

Due to the interest in the project, two international bodies of the European Union, the European Union Military Staff and the Multinational Medical Coordination Centre / European Medical Command, also attended.

The meeting, chaired by the Chief General of the Joint Chief of Health, was attended by a large national representation, including the Inspector General of Health, the General Directors of Health of the Army and the Air Force, as well as representatives of the Army, the Navy, the General Inspectorate of Health and the Directorate General of Defence Policy.

During the course of the seminar, the need to enhance this type of highly mobile medical treatment training to complement, according to its capabilities, other ROLE 2 FST models derived from its modularity, flexibility and scalability, in search of agility and adaptability to the operational situation, was debated.

On October 31st , the participants in the meeting were brought to the Torrejón Air Base, where the Air Deployment Support Medical Unit deployed a ROLE 2F FST and a ROLE 2B FST to show the attendees the differences between the two, which are taken into account during the planning of operations, in order to ensure a health support structure in compliance with the needs of the operation, combining FSTs of different care entities if necessary.

Spain's leadership in this project reinforces its engagement with the security and defence of the EU and the enhancement of operational health capabilities, as strategic enablers for the use of the Force.