HQ NRDC-ESP

Flag Ceremony in Bétera

Flag Raising during the ceremony

20 km march in the vicinity of Bétera

NATO Rapid Deployable Corps Headquarters Spain (HQ NRDC-ESP) celebrated the 20th anniversary of the headquarters at its base in Bétera (Valencia) with a 20-kilometre march and a military parade in the presence of military representatives from the twelve countries that are currently members of the headquarters.

On the morning of Thursday 5, nearly 200 Spanish and Allied military personnel completed a 20-kilometre walk around Bétera to commemorate 20 years since the creation of the headquarters in October 2002.

At the end of the march, tribute was paid to those who have given their lives for Spain and NATO by raising both the NATO flag and the  flags of the member nations.

This event marks 20 years since the headquarters was officially established in October 2002 and placed at the disposal of the Atlantic Alliance with the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding, reaching full operational capability.

The ceremony was presided over by Lieutenant General Fernando García-Vaquero Pradal, head of HQ NRDC-ESP/ CGTAD (Spanish High Readiness Land Headquarters), and was attended by various civilian and military authorities such as the mayors of towns near the military base.

 From its creation to the present, HQ NRDC-ESP has been constantly adapting to the needs of a continually evolving environment to achieve the highest degree of readiness in order to fulfil the different missions entrusted to it by both Spain and NATO.