NATO Military Committee visits air base and space facilities in Torrejon, Spain

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On 3-4 February 2026, the NATO Military Committee visited Torrejón Air Force Base, where the Combined Air Operations Centre Torrejón (CAOC-TJ) is located. The visit included Spain’s Space Command (MESPA) and key air and space operations facilities, such as the European Union Satellite Centre (SatCen).

Torrejón Air Force Base hosts the Combined Air Operations Center Torrejón (CAOC-TJ), whose primary mission is to plan, direct, coordinate, monitor, analyse and report on the operations of Air Policing. The NATO Military Committee was briefed on the unit’s area of responsibility across Southern Europe, and its ability to contribute to NATO's Joint Force Air Component for exercises and crisis response. In October 2025, CAOC Bodø, Norway joined existing CAOCs in Uedem, Germany and Torrejón, Spain, and the Deployable Air Command and Control Center, in Italy. Appropriately located to cover NATO’s entire European airspace, the CAOCs are responsible to support Allied air operations, allowing them to monitor up to 30,000 air movements in European NATO airspace per day. They play a critical role in investigating unclear or potentially unsafe situations, while visually identifying unknown aircrafts.

During the visit of the Torrejón Air Force Base, the NATO Military Committee was also offered a firsthand overview of the Aerospace Observation Systems Center (CESAEROB) and the Space Surveillance Operations Center (COVE) as the main operational pillars of the Spanish Space Command (Mando del Espacio, MESPA) safeguarding satellites and monitoring aerospace activities. MESPA reinforces Spain’s commitment to ensuring the security of national and Allied interests in space, showcasing cutting-edge technologies and operational strategies aligned with emerging aerospace demands.

While in Torrejón, the NATO Military Committee paid a very fruitful visit also to the European Union Satellite Center (SatCen) with briefings on its services of geospatial intelligence, imagery analysis, and capability development. SatCen supports directly EU decision-making, institutions and bodies, while contributing to the ever-closer NATO-EU cooperation in the face of the common security challenges in the space domain.