Special acknowledgement for those involved in Trident Juncture

Personnel and units who took part in Trident Juncture 2015 have received the acknowledgement of the Chief of the Army Staff, Army General Jaime Domínguez Buj, on behalf of the Army, for their “work, dedication and imagination” during the preparation and execution of the exercise.

Such acknowledgement was symbolised in the award of either the Cross of Military Merit with white decoration or an honorific mention to personnel who distinguished themselves during the exercise and made a significant contribution to its success.

In addition, the units which were involved in the exercise – more than thirty – were presented with certificates of acknowledgement, which were received by their respective commanders at the Ambassadors Hall of the Palacio de Buenavista, headquarters of the Spanish Army.

The most veteran among those honoured, Colonel Gómez García, who is stationed at the Service Base “San Jorge”, spoke on behalf of his colleagues. He stressed that being granted a distinction is always “a spur for us to continue our daily work” and added that this particular honour acknowledged “a sustained collective effort over several months”.

Five challenges successively overcome

The Chief of the Army Staff explained that the participation of Spain in “the most ambitious NATO exercise in decades” had posed five simultaneous challenges for the Army: assessing and certifying the High Readiness Land HQ in Bétera; materialising the first Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF); launching the concept of Joint Logistic Support Group; providing Host Nation support; and coordinating all the exercises on the ground. All those challenges were overcome “with outstanding success”.

General Domínguez Buj added that the exercise had contributed to “increasing the prestige of Spain and its Army in the eyes of the world, by proving that the Spanish Army is first rate”. In his opinion, that deserves special recognition, which he wished to extend to the personnel who did not attend the ceremony but whose contribution had been crucial. “This is a collective acknowledgement, and I would urge you to pass my congratulations on to your subordinates”, he asserted.

Lessons learned

On 24 February, a few days before the event, the chiefs of commands and divisions which had distinguished themselves during Trident Juncture met at Army HQ under the chairmanship of the Deputy Chief of the Army Staff, Lieutenant General Juan Campins, to review the planning and execution of the exercise.

During the meeting, each of the participants presented their point of view and identified the main lessons learned, which will be helpful in the organisation of future exercises like this one.

The ceremony took place at Army HQ (Photo: Iván Jiménez/DECET)