A delegation from the Turkish Naval Forces Command has visited the NATO-accredited Counter-Improvised Explosive Devices Centre of Excellence

• The delegation, led by Rear Admiral Gökçen Firat, visited the facilities of the Counter-IED Centre of Excellence to learn about how it operates and to gain insight into the work carried out by Turkish personnel assigned there

A delegation from the Turkish Naval Forces Command, headed by Rear Admiral Gökçen Firat, visited the Counter-Improvised Explosive Devices Centre of Excellence (C-IED COE), where they were received by its Director, Colonel Javier Sanz Maldonado, and by the Turkish Armed Forces personnel serving at the Centre.

This visit took place within the framework of a meeting between the Spanish Navy and the Turkish Navy Headquarters to address bilateral cooperation agreements. During the visit, the Director of the C-IED COE delivered a briefing on the wide range of activities conducted at the Centre, which is a NATO reference in the fight against C-IED threats.

Subsequently, attendees discussed the shared security environment faced by Spain and Türkiye, as countries located on different flanks of NATO, and their common concern regarding the Alliance’s southern border, which has for years been affected by the threat posed by IEDs employed by different terrorist organizations.

The Turkish delegation was particularly interested in the work carried out by the Turkish personnel assigned to the Centre, who accompanied them during the tour of the facilities, with particular emphasis on the IED laboratory and the 3D printers.

The Republic of Türkiye joined the Memorandum of Understanding for the establishment of the C-IED COE in Hoyo de Manzanares and its functional relationship with the Supreme Allied Commander Transformation (SACT) in 2015. Since then, the Republic of Türkiye has had two officers permanently assigned to the Centre, whose duties fall within the Defeat the Device branch, one of whom serves as Head of Section.