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Jorge Bravo |
October 29, 2024 is a date that our history will not forget; It may be the largest catastrophe due to a natural phenomenon that has occurred to date in Spain. Knowledge of the great loss of human life and the extensive material damage has not yet reached its full extent. The mobilization of human and material resources from the administrations has meant one of the largest deployments of care and support services carried out by official organizations and non-governmental organizations, causing a great wave of solidarity that reminds us of the citizen response that occurred during the pandemic. .
Among all the services provided at the state level are the Armed forces which, through the Military Emergency Unit (UME) and other military units, form a basic element in the operation arranged to address the effects of the catastrophe. For the umpteenth time, the armies, among all the organs and services involved, continue to be unknown, beyond what sporadic images of their actions and results convey.
The knowledge that society must have of its Armed Forces continues to be a pending issue.
It is important to differentiate the UME from the rest of the military units. Their way of acting, as well as their organic dependence, differ from that of the rest of the units of the Armed Forces, although they maintain in common, organization, hierarchy, availability, work discipline and vocation for service. We must value their great availability and prompt response, but we must also be aware of their limited dimension, which seems to be unknown when we imagine actions they can undertake, their way of proceeding or when unlimited resources are requested.
The knowledge that society must have of the current risks and threats, and of its Armed Forces, what they are for, what tasks are attributed to them, how they work or what objectives they have, and what their shortcomings are, continues to be a pending subject. their needs and, also, what the problems of their professionals are.
But when we talk about ignorance on the part of citizens, we must also include the political class, some administrations and journalism in general. What is conveyed to us from debates, interviews or opinions, in the media, whether from politicians, informants or citizens, shows the great ignorance that exists about the Armed Forces.
The Armed Forces are not an NGO, nor are they a mass of uniformed volunteers
The work of the UME, as well as the scarce information on the actions of military units in international interventions, convey a very limited knowledge about them, perhaps being more popularly important, what is inferred from the “showy” actions of military units in protocol acts. , sometimes converted into true spectacles, or those that have been transferred to the popular imagination in the form of great clichés, by those who at the time performed military service. The Armed Forces are not an NGO, nor are they a mass of uniformed volunteers.
This deficit of knowledge leads to the distortion of what is said, communicated or reported regarding the tasks, actions and responsibilities of the military in the context of the aid and support they are carrying out in the climatological catastrophe in Valencia.
The Armed Forces constitute a well-stratified and hierarchical organization, highly technical, disciplined and that acts according to predetermined procedures and with great flexibility. To carry out their tasks, they have continuous training, practices and exercises and all of this means that their actions are carried out in an orderly manner and with clear criteria. In short, their actions do not respond to a mass of people (military) who join the disaster zone and, without order or concert, carry out tasks at the drop of a hat at anyone’s disposal.
Action in disasters constitutes part of the professional tasks entrusted to the Armed Forces.
Organic Law 5/2005, of November 17, on National Defense, establishes that the Armed Forces “must preserve the safety and well-being of citizens in cases of serious risk, catastrophe, calamity or other public needs, in accordance with the provisions of current legislation”. That is to say, action in disasters constitutes part of the professional duties entrusted to the Armed Forces. And that is why their training and preparation is aimed at achieving the greatest effectiveness. Specifically, the UME has an action protocol that, seeking effectiveness and speed, clearly establishes its tasks and its way of proceeding.
The traditional opacity in the Armed Forces is the main barrier that prevents society from knowing about this organization that is so fundamental for a State, still immersed in an obscurantism of past times that serves, in certain spaces, other spurious interests that go beyond of the obligatory duty of reserve that must be maintained in part of its entire scope.
It is up to the Ministry of Defense to make its Armed Forces known to society, eliminating internal barriers, facilitating knowledge that must be revealing, illuminating and formative, while allowing the freedom of expression of its components to be part of the effort. communicative and conveys its human and close character, and that, in addition, constitutes a vehicle for the integration of these workers in the society of which they are part.
Thus, public opinion, politicians and journalists must know not only the functions and objectives of the Armed Forces, as well as responsibilities and their employment, but also the working conditions of its components, and, in the current situation (after a long transition since the promulgation of the Constitution) their social status and the degree of integration in society.
The different legal regime at the administrative and criminal level from which they suffer requires an explanation and knowledge on the part of society, since serious restrictions on rights and a labor regime that, among others, contemplate poor remuneration recognition arise from it. ; Possibly, of the multitude of professional organizations that act in aid in the Valencian catastrophe, the military is the weakest group in the protection of their rights and those that have the least remuneration recognition.
On the Defense Culture Portal of the Ministry of Defense it appears as a heading: “Defense is an essential element of the State to guarantee the security and well-being of Spain and the Spanish people. Therefore, knowledge of the current risks and threats to security, and of the instruments necessary to guarantee defense, is crucial for Spanish society to know, value and identify with its history and with the solidarity and effective effort through which “The Armed Forces safeguard national interests.”
Little has been done so far by the Ministry of Defense to ensure that this knowledge fully reaches the citizens, and this is evident in the misinformation in which we find ourselves immersed.
#great #unknowns
