Official ceremony for the 15th anniversary of the C-IED Center of Excellence

•  The key moment of the ceremony was the raising of the Canadian flag, marking the country's future official incorporation as a sponsor nation of the centre

The Centre of Excellence for Countering Improvised Explosive Devices (C-IED COE), accredited by NATO and based in Hoyo de Manzanares (Madrid), celebrated its 15th anniversary today with a solemn ceremony at its facilities.

The ceremony was presided over by Lieutenant General José Antonio Herrera Llamas, Chief of the Joint Defence (JEMACON), who was welcomed by the Director of the COE, Colonel Javier Sanz Maldonado. They were accompanied by military and civilian authorities, representatives of the diplomatic corps and members of the NATO Steering Committee, as well as all the Centre's national and international staff.

The history of the C-IED COE began with the identification of the global threat posed by improvised explosive devices to military and civilian forces. In response to this need, Spain offered the centre to NATO, obtaining its official accreditation as a Centre of Excellence in November 2010.

Located in Hoyo de Manzanares, the C-IED COE has had the support and collaboration of numerous allied countries and organisations, such as the Spanish Armed Forces, the Guardia Civil, the Cuerpo Nacional de Policía and the National Intelligence Centre.

Throughout its 15-year history, the centre has specialised in providing training, doctrine and capability development aimed at reducing and eliminating the threat of improvised explosive devices, especially those originating from terrorist and insurgent networks.

The key moment of the ceremony was the raising of the Canadian flag, a symbolic act marking Canada's future official incorporation as a new sponsor nation of the C-IED COE, joining the twelve other nations that already make up the Centre: Germany, the Czech Republic, the United States, France, Greece, Hungary, the Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Sweden, Türkiye and Spain (as the framework nation).

The day included institutional speeches, the presentation of a book commemorating the 15th anniversary, and a guided tour of the centre's current research and training projects. The event concluded with a social gathering at the Academy of Engineers, where attendees toasted the future of C-IED COE and the strengthening of international cooperation in the fight against improvised explosive devices.

The C-IED COE consolidates its activity as a benchmark for NATO, thereby reinforcing its mission of excellence in knowledge sharing, training and leadership at the international level, celebrating its achievements and the expansion of its network of sponsoring nations.