Nearly 15,000 Spanish soldiers are taking part this year in training, preparation or surveillance missions that are in some way related to the conflict on a front in Eastern Europe, a senior official estimates – without an official count of defense uniforms. Although the trend is not new, as two years have already passed since the invasion of Ukraine and the renewed Russian threat, it is, according to this source, “the largest concentration of Spanish energies towards the ‘eastern wing’ since the Balkan wars.” In the 1990's.
Imad launched the message by commenting on pictures of Spanish soldiers crossing the Vistula River tunnel in small boats. “The Málaga Armored Tactical Group carries out a strike on a watercourse at the Perno Pesce training area in Bologna supported by sappers from the UK together with members of the . This direct way of speaking is part of a new frank account of the atmosphere prevailing in Europe, a warning against the spread of politicians like Emmanuel Macron, Josep Borrell, Donald Tusk or Ursula von der Leyen, in another way.
There are not many surprises about what the Spanish Army is doing in this Polish arena either: 2023 has already seen the deployment of Leopard tanks in Estonia, fighters in the Baltic Sea, radars and aircraft on the Black Sea coast, and naval units. In the Eastern Mediterranean, among European and NATO deterrence missions, and in 2024 no less.
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The day after Imad posted the tweet explicitly talking about training for combat in the East, the third batch of the Spanish contingent deployed in Slovakia, consisting of the 1/29th Zamora Battalion of the Light Brigade, departed by airborne plane. And by high availability ground headquarters staff.
They are part of NATO's rapid reaction force, the reinforcement of which was discussed in June 2022 at the alliance's summit in Madrid. It is the practical embodiment of the Spanish command, which this newspaper presented in its day, of a NATO battle group in Slovakia, part of the new heightened deterrence against Russia.
Meanwhile, soldiers of the Malaga Armored Tactical Group were firing live ammunition in another exercise taking place in Poland, Operation Cohesion. Meanwhile, Spanish self-propelled artillery also fired shells at a training camp in Latvia, integrated into the battle group deployed by NATO in that country.
There was a lot of activity in March. On the 12th of this month, the Chief of the Slovak General Staff, General Daniel Zemko, met in Madrid with his Spanish counterpart, Admiral Teodoro Esteban Lopez Calderon, to discuss the Spanish deployment in the Central European country bordering Ukraine.
Considering that the Navy is preparing to send a Marine brigade to Romania to help secure the country against Russia, and that a new rotation has also been launched this Easter of 150 Air Force personnel to participate in the Vilkas Tactical Air Detachment, from air patrols over Lithuania, The deployment of Spanish military personnel on European soil is unprecedented in six years.
Among other reasons, this deployment includes Spain's participation in NATO's largest land military exercises on European soil since 1988, when the Soviet Union was still in existence. Steadfast Defender 24 includes 32 countries and 90,000 allied soldiers. The war maneuver draws an imaginary front, which is an inclined line from the North Pole to the mouth of the Polish Szczecin River, and from there to Turkey, via Belarus, Ukraine and the Black Sea.
“Following the large-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the Allies strengthened NATO’s deterrence and defense power, and developed the most comprehensive defense plans since the end of the Cold War – the Alliance explains in a statement – Steadfast Defender 24 is NATO’s defense programme.” “The first large-scale exercise to put these new defense plans into action.”
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