Margarita Robles, on the Spanish military deployed in Lebanon: 'They are doing an exceptional job'

The Minister for Defence, Margarita Robles, during her visit to the Torrejón Air Base

Permanent surveillance of the line separating Lebanon and Israel is the task entrusted to the men and women of the 'Guadarrama' XII Brigade who, within the UN mission, represent Spain's commitment to the pacification of one of the most critical areas on the current international scene.

Margarita Robles visited the 'El Goloso' military base, from where the 600 troops departed last November. "They are doing exceptional peacekeeping work," said the minister, who also acknowledged her concern for a mission "in a difficult situation, which keeps them holed up for many hours, but always with high morale and following all security measures".

The minister was adamant about Spain's loyalty to FINUL: "We will stand with the UN. Lebanon is a country we love and that loves us, which is why we are committed to this mission and we demand an end to the attacks," she concluded.

Lebanon is not the only deployment of the 'Guadarrama' XII Brigade, which has 542 soldiers in Latvia, as part of the operation 'Deployment of Ground Forces on the Eastern Flank'.

Visit to the 45th wing

From 'El Goloso', the minister travelled to Torrejón de Ardoz, where she visited the 45th Wing, which in recent weeks has been doing outstanding work evacuating civilians from the Middle East.

The 45th Wing is responsible for the evacuation of military and civilians, especially from conflict zones, where it has demonstrated unquestionable readiness and proficiency. It consists of 205 personnel, with a crew on 24/7 standby, and has a fleet of nine aircraft, to which a tenth will be added in November this year. Its beginnings date back to 1956, when it took its first steps in calibration and testing missions for air navigation aids. Over time, it has evolved into a unit which, in the last year, has logged nearly 3,400 hours and carried out 11 medical evacuations, flying routes between countries such as Egypt, China, Brazil, Colombia and Peru.

Its involvement in humanitarian missions has taken him to places such as Mozambique (2000), Nepal (2015), the wildfires in Chile in 2017 and the earthquake in Turkey in 2023.

The conflict currently unfolding in the Middle East has put the capabilities of the 45th Wing to the test in highly complex operations, given the number of people evacuated, the tight timeframe and, above all, the threats posed by the airspace in a critical area.

Non official translation