Spain Sends 2,600 Servicemen to NATO’s Biggest Exercise

Around 2,650 Spanish Navy servicemen, 12 surface ships, a submarine, 4 helicopters, 2 fixed-wing aircraft and Marine Corps units will take part in the biggest NATO deployment of the last decade – Trident Juncture 2015.

This training activity will extend from October 3rd to November 6th bringing together more than 30,000 people from 30 nations. The three theatres of operation of Trident Juncture 2015 are Spain, Italy and Portugal. The Spanish Armed Forces will contribute with a total of 8,000 people.

The purpose of the exercise is to train and certify a high readiness force (NATO’s Response Force – NRF 2016) to rapidly and efficiently deploy wherever required.

The participating Spanish Navy units are: LHD Juan Carlos I, frigates Numancia, Álvaro de Bazán and Blas de Lezo; OPVs Infanta Cristina, Vencedora and Vigía; submarine Mistral, AOR Cantabria, minehunter Sella, the oceanographic research ship Las Palmas, tug La Graña and the LPD Castilla.

The Castilla will be the flagship of the Spanish Commander of SPMARFOR (Spanish Navy High Readiness Forces [Maritime] Headquarters).

Image: Spanish Navy