The Diplomat
The Spanish Navy will lead in the waters of Cadiz, from today and for six weeks, the MILEX 23 exercise, through which the EU will be able to put into practice, for the first time, its Military Response Capability, which should be fully operational in 2025 to act anywhere in the world in defense of European interests.
The exercise will involve naval, air and land units from 16 European Union countries, totaling some 3,000 troops. This military force will be commanded by the commander of the Expeditionary Battle Group ‘Dédalo-23’, Spanish Rear Admiral Gonzalo Villar, who will be assisted by an international General Staff.
The MILEX 23 exercise will be the first time that the EU deploys real forces in an exercise and under the direction of a General Staff in Brussels. This exercise will simulate an EU deployment under the umbrella of the UN, following an alleged request for assistance from a non-European country.
In the ‘Dédalo-23’ deployment -whose main task is to support military operations on land from the sea- three ships of the Amphibious and Projection Group of the Fleet, ‘Juan Carlos I’, ‘Galicia’ and ‘Castilla’, will participate, as well as ‘Harrier’ aircrafts, helicopters, a Reinforced Marine Infantry Landing Battalion and the frigate ‘Numancia’, according to what the Ministry of Defense informed yesterday in a press release.
After the MILEX exercise, the ‘Daedalus’ Group will head to the Adriatic Sea to participate in the “enhanced surveillance activities” ‘Neptune Strike’, under NATO command, in which aircraft carriers from the United States, Italy, the United Kingdom and Turkey will take part. Finally, the ‘Daedalus 23’ Group will take part in the NATO exercise ‘Dynamic Mariner/Mare Aperto 23’, which will take place in Sardinia.
On the occasion of the start of the MILEX exercise, the acting Minister of Defense, Margarita Robles, held a videoconference yesterday with the commanders of the Expeditionary Battle Group ‘Daedalus 23’ and the ship ‘Castilla’, command ship of this grouping.
“It is very important that Spain leads it here, precisely taking advantage of the Presidency of the European Union,” said Robles. “The waters of Cadiz are going to be an essential and fundamental reference point for the history of the EU”, because “this exercise will mark the future actions of the bloc”, continued the minister, who recalled, in this regard, that one of the fundamental objectives of the Strategic Compass, approved last year, is to improve the crisis management capacity.
“I am sure that the Navy, once again, will leave the Spanish flag very high,” said Robles, who was accompanied by the commander of the Operations Command, Lieutenant General Francisco Braco. “Now that everyone knows that our security is vulnerable, it is important that we have a prepared Navy, and Spain is a point of reference in this operation,” she concluded.
