It is important for nations to take time to honour their service personnel and recently it was no different for the detachment of the EU NAVFOR Spanish Air Force Orion Maritime Patrol Reconnaissance Aircraft (MPRA).
The personnel of the 31st Contingent and 58th Rotation, along with guests from allied nations, paid tribute to soldiers who have lost their lives in the service of Spain in a ceremony held on 23rd May. This was led by the detachment Commander, Lieutenant Colonel (Lt Col) José Molino Martínez as they celebrated Spanish Armed Forces day 2018 during a parade at the French base in Djibouti. The Spanish contingent received their EU Common Security and Defence Policy Service medals in recognition of their participation in Operation Atalanta and the fight against piracy.
In a speech, Lt Col Molino highlighted the effort and dedication of his Spanish personnel. The highly capable Spanish Orion P-3 aircraft has been operating continuously in support of the fight against piracy under the command of EU NAVFOR since the beginning of 2008. The MPRA regularly flies along the Somalia Coast, Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean collecting vital information and intelligence for use by EU NAVFOR and partner military organisations like Combined Maritime Forces to deter threats to maritime shipping.
Due to the outstanding efforts of the Spanish Maritime Aircrew, Operation Atalanta helps to ensure that there is no hiding place for would-be Somali pirates. This assists EU NAVFOR and other regional maritime partners in keeping the important sea-lanes in the region safe and allowing the free flow of international commerce.
The personnel of the 31st Contingent and 58th Rotation, along with guests from allied nations, paid tribute to soldiers who have lost their lives in the service of Spain in a ceremony held on 23rd May. This was led by the detachment Commander, Lieutenant Colonel (Lt Col) José Molino Martínez as they celebrated Spanish Armed Forces day 2018 during a parade at the French base in Djibouti. The Spanish contingent received their EU Common Security and Defence Policy Service medals in recognition of their participation in Operation Atalanta and the fight against piracy.
In a speech, Lt Col Molino highlighted the effort and dedication of his Spanish personnel. The highly capable Spanish Orion P-3 aircraft has been operating continuously in support of the fight against piracy under the command of EU NAVFOR since the beginning of 2008. The MPRA regularly flies along the Somalia Coast, Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean collecting vital information and intelligence for use by EU NAVFOR and partner military organisations like Combined Maritime Forces to deter threats to maritime shipping.
Due to the outstanding efforts of the Spanish Maritime Aircrew, Operation Atalanta helps to ensure that there is no hiding place for would-be Somali pirates. This assists EU NAVFOR and other regional maritime partners in keeping the important sea-lanes in the region safe and allowing the free flow of international commerce.