The RQ-4D Phoenix
unmanned aircraft
provides ISR (Intelligence,
Surveillance and
Reconnaissance)
capabilities.
armed forces
Northrop-Grumman
The watchful eyes
of THE PHOENIX Twenty Spanish service members are part of the Allied
Ground Surveillance (AGS) Force
AMONG its more than 500
service members from 25
nations, NATO’s elite unit
for ground surveillance,
the so-called AGS (Allied Ground
Surveillance) force, has about twenty
Spanish soldiers from the three service
branches working in all the areas of
the unit, whose star feature is the RQ-
4D Phoenix unmanned aircraft. This
figure will rise to 33 over the next two
years, making Spain the fourth largest
country in terms of staff contribution,
with 5 percent, behind the United
States, Germany and Italy. As the
fourth nation, Spain has the privilege
of holding one of the unit’s leading
positions, specifically that of Support
Wing Commander, who commands 40
percent of the Force and is responsible
for the staff and logistic resources that
are necessary for sustaining the aircraft
and the systems complementing them.
This post is currently held by Air Force
Colonel Juan Carlos Raimundo, who
emphasizes that Spanish personnel
“hold positions of responsibility and
enjoy great prestige in the Force
because of their training, willingness
and expertise”. Colonel Raimundo
adds that, for Spain, participating
in this project means, on the one
hand, demonstrating once again its
commitment to the Alliance and, on
the other, becoming visible in such a
strategic capability as the AGS, which
18 Revista Española de Defensa April 2021