The Armed Forces as a whole will be involved in the fight to alleviate the effects of the dana that has devastated large areas of the eastern part of the Peninsula, with a death toll of 158 and a number of missing persons that is still unknown. While the Emergency Military Unit (UME) intervened from the very beginning in rescue tasks, now the three branches of the military will collaborate with the deployment of an additional 500 soldiers. This reinforcement is distributed proportionally, as the Army will contribute 300 soldiers, the Navy 100, and the Air and Space Army another hundred. The Navy’s personnel will come from the Marine Infantry Tercio of San Fernando (Cadiz) and those from the Air Force from the Air Deployment Support Squadron (EADA) of Zaragoza and the Paratrooper Sapper Squadron (Ezapac) of Alcantarilla (Murcia). On the other hand, the Army has offered personnel from its units in the area: the Lusitania Cavalry Regiment, based in Marines (Valencia), the Anti-Aircraft Artillery Regiment of Paterna (Valencia) and the Transmission Command, also in Marines, as well as the Paratrooper Brigade, in Javalí Nuevo (Murcia). All these bases have logistical units that will be responsible for the mission, which will involve the distribution of essential products and the opening of roads blocked by the flood, for which they will need all-terrain trucks, water tanks, or engineering machinery.
The participation of the Armed Forces will be coordinated by the UME, which has a representative in the Cecopi (Integrated Operational Coordination Center), where the responsible parties of the different administrations involved meet, including now the Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska. The Minister of Defense, Margarita Robles, emphasized that all the resources of her department are available to the victims of the catastrophe, so the contribution of the Armed Forces will be extended if necessary. In fact, both the Army and the Air Force have offered a total of 15 transport helicopters and 18 drones, while the first ones to arrive on Tuesday to assist the town of Letur, in Albacete, where the flood left one dead and five missing, were a dozen green berets from the Special Operations Command (MOE) of Alicante who happened to be training in the area. Defense sources acknowledge that it is impossible to predict how long this mission will last because, once the most urgent phase of the emergency is over, a new stage of repair and reconstruction will begin that could last for months.
The UME will continue to maintain 1,200 personnel in the area dedicated to rescue tasks, while the rest of the military forces will focus on logistical support and infrastructure repair. The task assigned to them includes the distribution of essential supplies and the clearance of roads that have been obstructed by the flood. The Defense Ministry has assured that all available means of the Armed Forces will be at the disposal of those affected by the natural disaster, and their contribution will be expanded if needed. Additionally, both the Army and the Air Force have offered helicopters for transportation and drones for surveillance, demonstrating their commitment to providing assistance in the aftermath of the dana that has caused widespread destruction and loss in the region.
As the mission progresses, the focus will shift from immediate rescue efforts to long-term reconstruction and recovery. This new phase may extend for several months as communities work to repair the damage and rebuild what has been lost. The involvement of the Armed Forces in this process will be crucial in providing support and resources to help the affected areas recover and rebuild. The coordination between the different military branches, as well as with other government agencies and organizations, will be essential in ensuring a comprehensive and effective response to the disaster. The dedication and commitment of the Armed Forces to assisting those in need during this challenging time will be a testament to their readiness and capability to respond to crises and provide aid to those affected by natural disasters.
