During Military Easter, Felipe VI praises the role of the Armed Forces in the dana as an “essential element of State action”

“The tragedy has once again highlighted the value of the Armed Forces and the Security Forces and Corps as an essential element of State action and as support to public administrations in the face of any emergency,” stated the King during the traditional Military Easter held in the Royal Palace, which he presided with the Queen Letizia and Princess Leonor, dressed in the uniform of a first class midshipman of the Naval Military School of Marinjust five days after embarking on the training ship Juan Sebastian de Elcano.

On the morning after the parade of the Three Wise Men, where many soldiers served as royal pages in the areas affected by the flood in the Valencian Community, Don Felipe highlighted that the mission of the Armed Forces in the dana “is surely the largest operation military, especially logistics, in national territory and in peacetime. “You have participated – from the Military Emergency Unit and the Civil Guard, to numerous personnel and material from almost all units of the Armed Forces – in search and rescue tasks, attention to the population and conditioning of infrastructure,” he told the military, while recalling that they have carried out “in areas of difficult access” medical interventions and food distribution, while other units removed “debris, vehicles and sludge in garages, streets and sewers.” He also highlighted the “psychological support for those affected” and the work of the military “patrolling neighborhoods and towns” to give “security and tranquility” to residents with their presence.

In front of President Pedro Sánchez, who received some isolated whistles and boos upon arriving at the Royal Palace, Don Felipe emphasized the “spirit of service” of the military, which “is not broken either by the enormous work carried out, or by the awareness of what What remains to be done«. In this sense, the King stated that he is aware of »the enormous effort« that it has meant for the military, but also »the satisfaction« that it has meant for them to »fulfill their duty« and with their »maximum vocation of serving the Spanish people. , to defend them, and also to help them in the face of serious risks.”

Don Felipe reminded the military commanders that on this morning of January 6 they met again for “a tribute due to the men and women” who make up “the military family” and who “do not spare an iota of effort or commitment in our defense and security, in the service of Spain. «It is also a celebration of the values ​​that inspire us as soldiers; some values ​​that come from ancient times, but above all the values ​​that are expressed in our Royal Ordinances and legal system starting from the 1978 Constitution,” said the King, while congratulating everyone as supreme command of the Armed Forces.

The King, to Princess Leonor: “Elcano will teach you a lot about what we were and what we are”

Next to him, attentively following his intervention, was the Princess of Asturias, to whom the King addressed a few words, when he was about to begin his XCVII training cruise, an “experience” that, as Don Felipe pointed out, will remain among his “best memories of military training.”

«The sea is a permanent learning and challenge, sometimes intransigent and crude, no room for excuses; and the American continent – its countries, its coasts and cultures, which you will begin to know, with so much Spanish influence – will teach you a lot about what we were and also are,” the King told the Princess. And he added: «We wish you, you and your companions, to make the most of the knowledge and seafaring and human experience that this trip offers; because it will continue to be worth it to you, as it has been worth to me, for a lifetime.

Finally, Felipe VI valued the work of the Armed Forces, «beyond our borders«: »Your work in operations and exercises abroad reinforces Spain’s position in a complex and unpredictable geopolitical framework; our prestige as a member of the Atlantic Alliance, which celebrated its 75th anniversary last year; and our firm adherence to the principles and values ​​that are included in the great texts that structure the international community, such as the Declaration of Human Rights or the Charter of the United Nations.”