Spanish Chief of Defence welcomes the Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) on his official visit to Spain

•  During his stop in Madrid, General Grynkewich held a working meeting with Admiral López Calderón and visited the Combined Air Operations Center in Torrejón

The Chief of Defence, Admiral Teodoro E. López Calderón, welcomed the Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR), General Alexus G. Grynkewich, during his official visit to Spain.

SACEUR visited the Defence Staff Headquarters, where, after being received with honours, he met with the Chief of Defence and subsequently signed the guest book, followed by an exchange of institutional gifts.

In addition, General Grynkewich also held a working meeting with Lieutenant General Luis Sáez Rocandio, Commander of NATO’s Rapid Deployment Corps Headquarters in Spain (NRDC-ESP).

SACEUR then met with representatives of the Joint Defence Staff (EMACON), including its Chief, Lieutenant General Herrera Llamas, as well as representatives from the Strategy Division and Planning Division, amongst others.

General Grynkewich also had the opportunity to visit the Combined Air Operations Centre in Torrejón (CAOC-TJ), which is responsible for NATO’s air defence by planning, directing, coordinating and overseeing air defence operations in the Mediterranean, the Black Sea and part of the Atlantic.

The Spanish Chief of Defence accompanied SACEUR on a visit to these facilities, where they received a warm welcome from the commander, Lieutenant General Juan Pablo Sánchez de Lara, who gave a detailed presentation of the CAOC TJ, outlining its mission and activities. He also shared his views and proposals regarding the challenges the centre faces within its area of responsibility.

This programme of meetings followed on from the meetings that SACEUR held, during his official visit, with His Majesty King Felipe VI and the Minister of Defence, Margarita Robles.

SACEUR is the commander of NATO’s Allied Command Operations (ACO) and head of the Supreme Headquarters Allied Forces in Europe (SHAPE). This is the second-highest military position within NATO, and has been held by General Grynkewich since 4 July 2025.