The Chief of Defence welcomes his Italian counterpart on his official visit to Spain

•  During his stay, General Luciano Portolano held a working meeting with Admiral López Calderón and visited the Headquarters of the Legion Brigade in Almería

The Spanish CHOD, Admiral Teodoro E. López Calderón, welcomed his Italian counterpart, General Luciano Portolano, during his official visit to Spain.

The first day of the visit began with a ceremony in memory of the fallen at the Plaza de la Lealtad. Subsequently, the Spanish CHOD went to the Defence Staff Headquarters, where, after being received with honours, he met with Admiral López Calderón. He then signed the guest book and an exchange of institutional gifts took place.

In addition, General Portolano also held a working meeting with the Chief of the Joint Defence Staff (JEMACON), Lieutenant General Herrera Llamas, as well as with members of the Strategy Division and the Planning Division, amongst others.

The second day was spent in Almería, where both Chiefs of Defence travelled to visit the headquarters of the ‘King Alfonso XIII’ II Legion Brigade (BRILEG) at the ‘Álvarez de Sotomayor’ Training and Firing Range (CMyT) in Viator.

The day began with an official reception and a guard of honour, followed by the customary institutional meeting. The delegation then attended a presentation in the ‘Vizconde de Eza’ hall on the new capabilities that the Legion Brigade is developing as an experimental brigade of the Army. Finally, they moved to the ‘Álvarez de Sotomayor’  CMyT to witness a static and dynamic display aimed at showcasing the unit’s procedures and capabilities in a tactical scenario.

This display featured UAS ISR (Unmanned Aerial Systems for battlefield reconnaissance), UAS FPV (Unmanned Aerial Combat Systems), C-UAS (Counter-Unmanned Aerial Systems), such as a shotgun and radio frequency detector, VAMTAC PC (High Mobility Tactical Command Post Vehicle) with UAS integration and image viewing systems, UGV (Unmanned Ground Vehicle) for casualty evacuation, EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) capabilities, and VCI 8x8 (Infantry Fighting Vehicle).

This visit strengthens cooperation ties and the exchange of experiences between allied nations, with the aim of effectively addressing current defence and security challenges.