Active Fence VI

After the Syrian crisis and the request from Turkey, NATO decided to increase its air defence capabilities against ballistic missiles coming from Syria using the deployment of the surface-to-air missile units ‘PATRIOT’ to develop these anti-missile defence operations.

The Council of Ministers of 26th December 2014, who extended the participation of the units and military observers in operations outside of national territory, approved the participation of the Anti- Aircraft Artillery Unit based in the Battery ´PATRIOT¨ of the Spanish Army, as well as the necessary support personnel which composed a contingent of 130 soldiers.

On 24th June 2017, the hand over between the A/T V Contingent led by Colonel Diego Alcolea Navarro and the A/T VI Contingent  led by Lieutenant Colonel  José Alberto Muñoz Martínez  took  place in the Turkish air base in Incirlik.

The colonel Enrique Silvela Díaz-Criado, Chief of the 73rd Anti-Aircraft Artillery Regiment  led, on behalf of the general chief of the Anti-Aircraft Artillery Command, an informal  act in which he was accompanied by the general chief of the U.S Air Base Wing, the Chief of Senior Staff of the German Contingent and a representative from the  Turkish Airforce headquarters deployed in Incirlik.

The incoming force will provide antimissile defence to the city of Adana 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for 6 months, which will mean there will be a high level of technical preparation and ability avaliable to provide an inmediate response to a ballistic missile attack.

In this sixth rotation, the 73rd Anti-Aircraft Artillery Regiment have continued being the Generating Base Unit, supporting the greatest number of personnel from this contingent which has been complemented with soldiers from the 71st Anti-Aircraft Artillery Regiment, the 74th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Regiment, the MAAA Unit of Transmissions, the MAAA Headquarters  and the 94th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Regiment.