Two thousand five hundred soldiers from 13 member countries are deployed by the European Union in Spain. As well as significant material resources. Explanations.
Thirteen member states of the European Union are deploying 2,500 soldiers to the San Gregorio Training Center, in Zaragoza, Spain starting this Wednesday, June 3. This deployment is part of one of the main military exercises organized by the EU, called MILEX 26.
This is a series of maneuvers intended “to test and train both the military planning and conduct capacity and the EU rapid reaction forces to plan and carry out the first phases of an autonomous crisis management operation”, indicates the European Service website for external action.
This specifies that the 2026 edition “is an alert and deployment exercise at the strategic, operational and tactical level”.
Then detail the final phase of MILEX 26 which is taking place in Spain and must conclude with a full-scale exercise (LIVEX): “During this phase, the planning hypotheses will be tested in real conditions, allowing the forces to validate their procedures, their interoperability and their level of preparation operational.”
A tactical demonstration with live fire in front of civil and military authorities.
Euronews reports that 1,600 Spanish soldiers are among the 2,500 deployed, specifying that “one of the most complex aspects of the exercise is the transfer of troops and equipment from the Canaries to the peninsula”.
The participating battle group is based around the Soria No. 9 Infantry Regiment and also includes a company from the Portuguese army, as well as artillery, engineering, nuclear, biological and chemical defense units, drones, military police, canine teams and communications units, indicate our colleagues.
Then add that the maneuvers also have specific capabilities for health support, force protection, transport helicopters, intelligence and reconnaissance, information operations and electronic warfare.
Leopard 2A4 tanks, Pizarro combat vehicles, reconnaissance drones and Super Puma and AB-212 helicopters from the Canaries are among the assets deployed.
