Spain assumes a greater role within NATO

Throughout this year Spain will be leading the Land Component of the first ever NATO Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (Land), which showcases the commitment of the Alliance to ensure the security of its members.

The force is the result of an agreement reached at a meeting of Defence ministers held on 5 February 2015 in Brussels. Most of its members come from the 7th Light Infantry Regiment “Galicia”, which also makes up one of its six battalions. The remaining five are from other Allied nations: Belgium, the US, Poland, Portugal and the UK. Some companies are multinational in their composition, including troops from Albania and Croatia.

The VJTF will be officially declared operational at the summit of NATO heads of state and government which will be held in Warsaw in mid-2016. The new force will enable the Organisation to react to any threat to the security of its members in a matter of days, regardless of its origin.

2016, the year of Spain in NATO (Photo: BITIERRA)