DEFENCE EXTENDS AWARDING THE CROSS OF MILITARY MERIT IN THE RED DIVISION

On 10th December the Cabinet passed a Royal Decree that modifies the general Regulations on military awards and decorations.  In this manner, the Ministry of Defence will award the Crosses of Military, Naval and Aeronautical Merit in the red division to the servicepersons killed as a consequence of violent actions by hostile elements while deployed on international missions before 2003.

To date, these distinctions have been awarded to those military personnel who lost their life as of 5th December 2003.  To give the same treatment to those who lost their life prior to this date and under the same circumstances, the Cabinet has passed this Royal Decree, which modifies the sole additional provision of Royal Decree 970/2007, of 13th July, which in turn was modified by the general  Regulations on military awards and decorations.

The new Royal Decree establishes that “if for the same acts Crosses of Military, Naval or Aeronautical Merit have already been awarded in a division other than red, the Joint Chief of the Defence Staff, the under-secretary of Defence, the Chief of the Army Staff, the Chief of the Navy Staff or the Chief of the Air Force Staff “will promote the modification, if appropriate, of the military distinction initially awarded”.

In the Army’s case, with the publication of this Royal Decree, proceedings will begin to award the Cross of Military Merit to four servicepersons killed in Bosnia-Herzegovina in 1993: Captain Muñoz (died on 13th May due to mortar grenade wounds while he had been transporting, some days earlier, medical assistance to the Mostar hospital), Captain Aguilar (killed on 11th June due to sniper fire while he was transporting medicine to a Moslem hospital in Mostar), Corporal León (killed on 30th July due to wounds from a mortar grenade which hit the detachment in Jablanica) and Major Álvarez (killed on 4th December when a mine exploded during reconnaissance at the Salakovac reservoir).