The main Armed Forces Day (DIFAS) event was held in Guadalajara with a military parade and air display

His Majesty the King paid tribute to the fallen soldiers (Photo:Jesús De los Reyes/DECET)

The Chief of the Army attended the event in Guadalajara (Photo:Jesús De los Reyes/DECET)

Combat tanks in the parade (Photo:Jesús De los Reyes/DECET)

The main Armed Forces Day event, held on 27 May in Guadalajara, was led by King Felipe and Queen Letizia. The attendance numbers were higher than in other years and participants included 2,500 soldiers, 63 planes and helicopters, amongst which was the new Army A-400 plane, and a total of 160 vehicles, including combat tanks.

Accompanying the royals at the event was Defence Minister, María Dolores de Cospedal, the president of the Community Council of Castilla-La Mancha, Emiliano García-Page, the mayor of Guadalajara, Antonio Román, the chiefs of staff of the Army and of Defence, Army generals Fernando Alejandre and Francisco Javier Varela, general admiral Teodoro López Calderón from the navy, and general Javier Salto from the Air Force, along with other civil and military leaders.

The event began with the arrival of the King and Queen in Guadalajara, who received honours and reviewed an honour battalion from the Royal Guard.

Following this, the Spanish flag was raised, the emblem of military personnel from the Army, Air Force, Navy and Civil Guard. The ensign was in the hands of four members of the Parachute Brigade who jumped from a “Chinook” helicopter from 1,500 metres high. Next, the King and families from six soldiers killed in service laid laurel wreaths next to the monument honouring those who gave their lives for Spain, amongst which were the families of the those killed in the Yakolev-42 accident.

After the tribute, the air display began, and then a military parade, which included 160 motorised units and 2,500 men. The motorised units were present including 'Leopardo' combat tanks, the 'Pizarro' combat vehicles and self-propelled howitzers belonging to the Army. Following this was participation from the groups on foot made up of a Civil Guard Honours Group, a mixed Navy battalion, a mixed Air Force battalion, a Civil Guard students battalion, a Military Emergencies Unit company and a mixed Army battalion. Closing the parade were two units from the Army with 160 and 90 steps per minute respectively. Both companies are part of the Legion with headquarters in Viator (Almería) and Regulares (Regulars) in Ceuta (Gibraltar).

The military parade concluded with an equestrian march made up of the Squadron and Drummers from the Royal Guard and the Saber Squadron from the Civila Guard. Following this, the King and Queen saluted the Commands of the forces and greeted the families of those killed in service.

First-rate operational contribution

On Armed Forces Day, the Defence minister, María Dolores de Cospedal, defended the first-rate Spanish contribution to international operations. In this way, Cospedal underlined that “although we need to increase the Defence budget to 2% of GDP” we must not forget the contribution that Spain is already making. “It is very important that we are aware of the fact that our safety is thanks to the daily work of many men and women, and that their work has a price,” she explained.