On June 16, the FLOTEX-23 exercise that involved 21 ships, 1 submarine, 19 aircraft, 6 landing craft and 80 Marine Corps infantry vehicles, with around 5,000 troops deployed in the waters of the Balearic Islands and the southeast coast of the Spanish peninsula has come to an end.
In this edition of FLOTEX, 5 types of unmanned vehicles (UXV), both surface (USV) and aerial (UAV), all of Spanish design and production, have participated. These systems contribute, on the one hand, to the development of national industry resulting in technological innovation and research, and on the other hand, allow the Spanish Navy to deploy state-of-the-art elements in order to effectively fulfill its tasks.
It should be underlined that FLOTEX-23 is a joint exercise, since the Spanish Navy invites both Army and Air Force units to participate, and also combined, since it invites NATO military units from friendly and allied countries. In this way, the Navy promotes the interoperability and cohesion of the Alliance. In fact, in this edition, NATO participated with its Standing Maritime Group No. 2 (SNMG2) and the Mine Countermeasures Group No. 2 (SNMCMG2). In addition, an Italian offshore patrol vessel and a French frigate under EUROMARFOR’s command also participated.
FLOTEX-23 is the Spanish Navy’s annual advanced level exercise, aimed at implementing, assessing and evaluating the capabilities of the Naval Force, made up of different national and allied units and Staffs.
The Commander of the High Readiness Maritime Headquarters (COMCGMAD), Vice Admiral José María Núñez Torrente, was the authority responsible for planning and conducting the exercise from his flagship, the amphibious assault ship (LPD) Castilla.
At the end of the execution phase, the Staffs and participating units began the critical analysis process (debriefing). The training elements that took part in the exercise analyzed the actions and decisions taken with the aim of extracting lessons learned that could be used in the future to make better use of the available capabilities and resources.
FLOTEX exercises are linked to the Spanish Navy’s purest and most particular raison d’être: namely, to be always in readiness to contribute, at sea and from the sea, to the defense of Spain and its legitimate interests wherever they may be.