interview Lieutenant General Fernando López del Pozo, Commander of the Operations Command «WE ARE AMBASSADORS OF SPAIN» He emphasises that international missions set operations as Spanish Armed Forces SINCE May 2007, Lieutenant General Fernando López del Pozo held the position of Commander of the Operations Command (MOPS in Spanish), a body from the Defence Staff (EMAD in Spanish) focused on planning, management and monitoring of overseas missions. He also considers that our Armed Forces´ participation into these missions «is fundamental to let Spain convey the image of a democratic, developed country willing to export to the rest of countries its way of living and understanding the world». «In this sense —he underlines— we are ambassadors». —How have these missions influenced the evolution of our Armed Forces during the last thirty years? —Mainly because they have driven operations to focus, to the centre of what constitutes the main objective for the Armies and the Navy. They have been a determining factor for their evolution and have promoted transformations in personnel, material… highest priority —Why are the experiences lived by sol- diers deployed abroad so appreciated? —Because they imply a confrontation with reality. That is to say, because what was earlier done in 1989 regarding training and instruction, it is done in a real-life scenario. And that applies to the whole range of operations, including those of humanitarian aid, which also involves military affairs: of force projection, provision, language skills… It is not the same an operation than an exercise, nor the adrenaline levels generated in each of them. —What do the Spanish contingents provide? —Above all, prominent human quality, making us highly appreciated in the operations. It is legendary the empathy shown by ours soldiers, and many true anecdotes are told on this aspect. For example, in Bosnia-Herzegovina, when at the beginning of the 1990s, UNPROFOR from United Nations was deployed, Spaniards were practically the only ones that shared a coffee and an open and sincere talk, and even a rakia, the local liquor, with citizens of the three ethnic backgrounds —Serbians, Croatians and Bosnians—, making easier the mission. —You have been based in Bosnia- Herzegovina, Iraq and Lebanon. What are the lessons you have learnt from those missions? —In the mission of Bosnia- Herzegovina, where I was Commander in 1996, I learnt that troops must be deployed with a strong and precise command. I also took part in the first Atlantic Alliance contingent, with «Spanish soldiers provide prominent human quality when working abroad» 22 Revista Española de Defensa December 2019
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