Command Post Operations Centre deployed during exercise Trident Jaguar in Menorca in 2014.
training area and the heliport, another
fundamental aspect of this military base
is its proximity and access to Manises
airport and to the port of Valencia.
These two locations are vital for
logistic projection, and several military
operations have been supported from
these premises since the 1990s: Bosnia
and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Afghanistan,
Indonesia, Congo, Lebanon and
Pakistan.
More than 55 of the 300 military staff
forming part of this headquarters are
allied personnel. The highest-ranking
military officer is Major-General
Nelson Martins Viegas Pires from
the Portuguese Army. He is deputy
commander of a headquarters that, in
his own words, “promotes a series of
values among its members that make it
cohesive. In addition to being a reference
point for the Atlantic Alliance”, he
says, “this military base promotes unity
among Western nations and is perfectly
integrated in Valencia”.
International headquarters have
a special appeal. This is the view
of French Colonel Philippe Potin,
head of the engineering section at
Bétera. “Working in a multinational
environment is engaging”, assures this
officer with previous experience in this
type of units. “I have been stationed in
the United States, in the Eurocorps, and
it is now a privilege to be in Spain, due
to the prestige of this unit, and be able to
enjoy 350 days of sunshine a year”.
This view is very similar to that of
Jens Friedrich, Second Lieutenant
of the German army, assigned to the
Personnel section who, in this year of
activation of Bétera as a joint force,
makes sure that the documents of all the
members of the unit are in order before
receiving deployment instructions
that could arrive at any time. “I had
already worked with the Spanish army
in Afghanistan, but I have got to know
it better in Valencia. It’s a three-year
assignment, but I have applied for an
extension”, he adds.
A LITTLE BIT OF HISTORY
Since obtaining its certification in
2002, Bétera has participated in two
real operations: the first one, at the
end of 2005 after the earthquake
that devastated the Kashmir region
in Pakistan; and the second one, in
2012 in Afghanistan within ISAF
Joint Command. Commander Manuel
Vicente Pedro Novella, stationed at
the unit’s operation centre —“the eyes
and ears of the headquarters”, as he
The base
meets the strict
conditions and
standards set by
the Alliance
36 Revista Española de Defensa April 2020