HQ NRDC-ESP

Handing over the HQ NRDC-ESP guidon

CFE and Signal unit personnel during the ceremony

CFE commanders signing the takeover

In Kuchyňa, Slovakia, the Handover-Takeover ceremony was held between the first and second Corps Forward Element (CFE) contingents of HQ NRDC-ESP based in Bétera (Valencia), deployed since March this year.

During the transfer of authority ceremony, the commander of the CFE I contingent handed over the HQ NRDC-ESP guidon to the new commander of the CFE II contingent. The main task of the CFE is the coordination of NATO's deterrence and defence plans on the eastern flank, supported by the 21th Signal Regiment (Marines-Valencia) and the 1st Signal Regiment (Huesca), enabling command and control with the latest information and communications technology.

During the speech, the commander of CFE II highlighted the firm commitment of the Spanish Armed Forces to collective defence and to the principles on which NATO was founded, recognising the importance of collaboration and mutual support among allied nations.

The ceremony, chaired by the Deputy Chief of Staff for PLANS of HQ NRDC-ESP, was attended by military authorities from Slovakia, Hungary and the Czech Republic, as well as representatives of the Spanish Embassy in Slovakia.

The deployment of the CFE once again demonstrates the firm commitment of Spain and its Armed Forces to the Allies in the deterrence and defence of NATO's eastern flank.