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Sweden

King Felipe holds military audiences at Madrid’s Royal Palace

King Felipe granted a series of military audiences on Tuesday at Madrid’s Royal Palace, meeting with the heads of various military units as they took up new command posts, or to be updated on their work with the coronavirus pandemic and other emergencies.

First, King Felipe met with the Head of the Military Emergency Unit, Lieutenant General Luis Manuel Martínez Meijide.

According to the Royal House, the Military Emergency Unit’s mission is to “intervene anywhere in the national territory, to contribute to the security and well-being of citizens, together with the institutions of the State and the Public Administrations, in cases of serious risk, catastrophe, calamity or other public needs.”

It was the first military unit of this kind formed in Spain and was established in 2005. The Military Emergency Unit is deployed for natural emergencies, like floods, heavy snowfalls; as well as for nuclear, chemical, radiological or biological risks. The MEU can also be deployed following terrorist attacks or any other reason that the government deems necessary.

Afterwards, King Felipe met with four Brigadier Generals from the General Corps of the Army; two Brigadier Generals from the Civil Guard Corps; one Brigadier General from the Air Force Corps of Engineers; two Brigadier Generals from the General Corps of the Air Force; one Brigadier General from the Navy Quartermaster Corps; a Rear Admiral from the Army Corps of Engineers; two Rear Admirals from the Army General Corps; and one Brigadier General from the Military Intervention Corps.

All of these audiences were a result of these military personnel assuming new command posts.

Following these meetings, King Felipe held another series of meetings with a group of captains and colonels upon the assumption of new command posts.

In the group of military personnel were a Colonel from the Air Force Corps of Engineers; five Colonels from the General Corps of the Air Force; two Colonels from the Marine Corps; two Colonels from the General Corps of the Army; and three Navy Captains from the General Corps of the Navy.

About author

Jess Ilse is the Assistant Editor at Royal Central. She specialises in the British, Danish, Norwegian and Swedish Royal Families and has been following royalty since Queen Elizabeth II’s Golden Jubilee. Jess has provided commentary for media outlets in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Jess works in communications and her debut novel THE MAJESTIC SISTERS will publish in Fall 2024.