CAOC Torrejón commemorates United Kingdom’s national day

•  The new British Ambassador to Spain attended the event

NATO Combined Air Operations Centre in Torrejón de Ardoz (CAOCT) commemorated Britain's national day in the presence of the British Ambassador to Spain, Sir Alex Ellis.

The delegation was welcomed on arrival by the Commander-in-Chief of CAOCT, Lieutenant General Juan Pablo Sánchez de Lara. Afterwards, the delegation attended the military ceremony celebrating the victory in the air battle known as the Battle of Britain, which took place from 10 July to 31 October 1940 against the Nazis.

In his speech, General Sánchez de Lara welcomed the Ambassador on his first visit to this unit. He highlighted Britain's commitment to NATO as a founding member in 1949, while praising the unaltered values of the Alliance since its foundation, namely to guarantee the defence and security of our nations in alliance with the other members of the Euro-Atlantic area.

In this regard, British involvement has steadily increased since the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, with the UK offering its military capabilities in various missions, such as Enhanced Air Policing, NSTU and Eastern Sentry. British Eurofighter aircraft are regularly deployed in Romania as part of the Air Shielding Mission, which also provides surveillance over the Black Sea.

The General highlighted British solidarity and generosity in the pursuit of common defence, while thanking the CAOC Torrejón for the support it receives from its personnel. The Centre has 18 permanent members of the Royal Air Force (RAF), who are part of the international command structure and the national support element (NSE).

Sir Ellis thanked the CAOCT staff for their work in ensuring the security of European skies, while highlighting the dedication of NATO personnel and with special mention to the work of his British compatriots who contribute to the well-being of British citizens.

TORREJÓN COMBINED AIR OPERATIONS CENTRE (NATO)

The CAOC Torrejón, under the direct command of a Lieutenant General of the Spanish Air and Space Force, has as its main mission to plan, direct, coordinate, supervise, analyse and report on air defence operations in southern Europe, following the directives of the NATO Air Component Command, to which it reports, and with the resources that nations assign to NATO in peacetime.

The Spanish Armed Forces make an important contribution to the mission carried out by this centre. Some 120 Spanish military personnel serve both at the CAOC itself and in the National Support Element (NSE) and the NATO Communications and Information Agency (NCIA) Unit.