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Spain

King Felipe visits Operations Command for Afghanistan evacuation briefing

On Thursday, King Felipe of Spain travelled to the outskirts of the Spanish capital to the Central Command of Operation, located in the Retamares Military base in the town of Pozuelo de Alarcón. 

His Majesty made this visit to hear how the evacuation procedures from Afghanistan are going, the second time in only two weeks that he visited military bases that are participating in the process, with the first visit having taken place on the 28th of August (his first engagement after the summer break) at the Torrejón Air Force Base.

Upon his arrival, King Felipe was received with the mandatory military honours and the salute of the military authorities present, after which he moved to the Gran Capitán room, where he received a briefing on the Afghan evacuation operations. 

His Majesty then gave a speech thanking everyone involved in the operation for their efforts and their loyalty to the military, and to the honour of serving the country and its citizens. 

King Felipe said: “I know that you are not looking for anything more than the satisfaction of a job done, that you are moved by the honour of serving Spain and the Spanish people -also helping other countries-, and that when you say ‘Mission accomplished’ you profoundly feel the glory of your swearing to the flag and the joy of knowing that because of all of that the efforts, sacrifices and constant dedication that your life represents are worth it.”

Following his speech, King Felipe moved to the Blas de Lezo room, where he received a briefing on the role played by the Human Sources Intelligence group (HUMINT) during the evacuation process from Afghanistan. 

During the visit, His Majesty was accompanied by the Minister of Defence Margarita Robles, the Chief of the Major State of Defence (more or less the equivalent of the American Chief of the Joint Staff) Admiral General Teodoro Esteban López Calderón and the Commander of the Operations Command Lieutenant General Francisco Braco Carbó.