H.M. THE KING ATTENDS AIRBORNE LIGHT INFANTRY BRIGADE “GALICIA” UNITS’ INTEGRATION EXERCISE FOR AFGHANISTAN.

H.M. the King today has attended the Task Force ASPFOR XXVII integration exercise in which, from 25th September last until 5th October, over 1,200 service persons belonging to various 7th Airborne Light Infantry Brigade “Galicia” Units that will make up the 27th Spanish Force in Afghanistan have been trained on the San Gregorio National Training Centre (Zaragoza).

This exercise in which over 65 heavy and 120 light vehicles have been mobilised is part of the Operational Training called 4+2, which the Land Force Command established within an intensive instruction and training programme that began in June 2009. As part of this training, instruction has been undertaken with a dozen of the new RG-31”NYALA” and LMV “LINCE” vehicles with anti-mine protection and similar to those deployed in Afghanistan.

The rotation that Task Force ASPFOR XXVII will comprise will be integrated in the International Security Assistance Force and its bulk is made up by service persons belonging to 7th Airborne Light Infantry Brigade “Galicia”. The Manoeuvre Battalion has core troops from Infantry Battalion “San Quintín” from 3rd Infantry Regiment “Príncipe”, whose commander, Colonel Rosaleny Pardo de Santayana will be Provincial Reconstruction Team Commander in Qala i Naw.

The Provincial Reconstruction Team Command Headquarters personnel, Civic-Military Co-operation Unit, Garrison Support Unit, Protection and Security Unit, Engineer Unit, Signals Unit and Operational Mentor and Liaison Teams belong to various Airborne Light Infantry Brigade Units. 

Also comprising part of Task Force ASPFOR XXVII is a Logistic Support Unit with core troops from the 41st Logistic Support Group (Zaragoza), a Psychological Operations Unit from the 1st Intelligence Regiment (Valencia), Medical Support Unit from the Medical Brigade (Madrid), and an Air Detachment with assets from the Air Force and Marine Infantry.