Official visit of the Chief of Defence to Jordan and Iraq

• Admiral General Teodoro Esteban López Calderón met with the Spanish military deployed in Baghdad.

The Chief of Defence has made an official trip with stopovers in Jordan and Iraq. On his first stop, Admiral General Teodoro Esteban López Calderón met in Amman with his Jordanian counterpart, Jordanian Air Force General Yousef Huneiti. During the meeting, matters of cooperation of interest to both countries were discussed. In addition, the JEMAD gave a lecture at the Royal Jordanian National Defence College entitled "The European Defence Strategy: the need to develop defence capabilities".

Subsequently, CHOD travelled to Iraq where he was received by the Commander of the Nato Mission Iraq (NMI), Spanish Lieutenant General José Antonio Martínez Agüero. He was informed on the ground about the development of this NATO mission and the activities being carried out by the Spanish contingent deployed.

The Chief of Defence Staff, accompanied by Lieutenant General Martínez Agúero, the Commander of the Operations Command, Lieutenant General Braco Carbó, and the Commander of the Joint Special Operations Command, General Herrezuelo, visited the various facilities where Spanish personnel are working.

They also had the opportunity to hold several working meetings with Iraqi and Coalition against Daesh personnel (Operation Inherent Resolve-OIR). Subsequently, CHOD met with his Iraqi counterpart, General Abdul Rashid Yarrallah, and with the Second Chief of the Joint Operations Command of the Iraqi Armed Forces. With them, he had the opportunity to discuss the current situation in the region, as well as the relations and activities that the Spanish and Iraqi forces are carrying out jointly.

At the Operation Inherent Resolve facilities, the Chief of Staff was received by the British General Ben Halsted, second-in-command of OIR, with whom he discussed the Coalition's activities and operations, as well as its future and evolution.