The general of the Air in the reserve Miguel Angel Villarroya Vilalta, until a few weeks ago Chief of Defense Staff, will be the new Defense Counselor in the Permanent Observer Mission of Spain to the Organization of American States and Advisor for Hemispheric Security Issues.
Confidential Digital has consulted the order signed this Monday, March 15 by the Minister of Defense, Margaret Robles, with which he names the ex JEMAD for that position abroad, specifically in Washington.
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Like other posts of military attaché or military representative of Spain before international organizations, this position depends organically and functionally on the General Secretariat for Defense Policy of the Ministry of Defense, which directs the Admiral Juan Francisco Martínez Núñez.
More specifically, “within the General Secretariat for Defense Policy, it is the responsibility of the Director General for Defense Policy to exercise the powers derived from the organic and functional dependency provided for in the previous section.”
The military attachés and defense counselors are appointed by the defense minister, but “it is up to the Director General of Defense Policy to select the candidates for these positions.” Therefore, his appointment has occurred at the proposal of Elena Gomez Castro, actual General Director of Defense Policy.
Ceased after vaccination
The general of the Air in the reserve Miguel Ángel Villarroya was dismissed (officially, at his own request) at the end of January, one day after ECD reveal that had already been vaccinated against the coronavirus, along with other general officers of the Defense Staff.
The news came after other controversies about public positions that had to resign when it was known that they had been vaccinated in the same shift as the health personnel and the elderly in the nursing homes.
By unveiling ECD the vaccination of the then JEMAD, as well as the Operations Command commander and of other senior members of the Defense General StaffWe can press for Villarroya to also resign. Margarita Robles did not endorse the JEMAD, but instead announced an investigation.
A day later the dismissal was made public at the request of Miguel Ángel Villarroya. Robles appointed Admiral General in his place Teodoro López Calderón, until that moment Admiral Chief of the Navy General Staff (AJEMA).
Defense denied it
Only a few days had passed since the Chief Executive Officer left when Confidential Digital he learned of the plan of the Ministry of Defense to appoint General (already in reserve) Villarroya to that position in Washington.
Therefore, Confidencial Digital contacted the Ministry of Defense on February 5, to contrast this information.
An official spokeswoman for the department of Margarita Robles assured that they were only “rumors”And that there was“ nothing at all ”. He assured that he had consulted the minister, and that although it was known that there were people moving, “the minister does not plan to appoint anyone to that position in the coming months”.
However, Robles signed the order with the appointment of Villarroya this Monday, March 15, 38 days after that consultation.
An attractive salary
That same February 5 that ECD made the query, the Official Defense Gazette had published the order signed by Robles that the defense counselor was dismissed in the Permanent Observer Mission of Spain to the Organization of American States and Advisor for Hemispheric Security Issues.
Until then, the Major General of the General Corps of the Army, already in reserve, Luis Antonio Ruiz de Gordoa Pérez de Leceta. His cessation takes effect from the April 26, 2021, date from which Miguel Ángel Villarroya will be Defense Counselor before the OAS.
Different sources consulted by Confidential Digital point out that this appointment represents a “Golden retreat” for the former JEMAD, who had to leave his post only one year after being appointed Chief of the Defense Staff.
These types of international military destinations are accompanied by high remuneration supplements, which may assume that the monthly salary round the 15.000 euros.
In principle, the appointment of the former JEMAD will be for three years, the period that is normally set for this type of international assignment of Defense Attaché or Counselor.
Other military sources point to a peculiar situation that will lead to the appointment of Miguel Ángel Villarroya: an air general (maximum job in the Air Force, equivalent to Army General on the Ground, and Admiral General in the Navy) will depend on an admiral (that is, one step lower on the scale) Juan Francisco Martínez Núñez, Secretary General for Defense Policy
New additions abroad
The decision to send the former Chief of Defense Staff to Washington is confirmed after other recently selected Spanish military representatives in embassies and international organizations.
As reported in these pages, the selection process has caused discomfort among colonels who applied for this type of position. They pointed out that the Director General of Defense Policy, Elena Gomez Castro (which comes from the diplomatic career), has gone modifying certain criteria that exclude numerous colonels and other officers who aspire to places abroad.
Until 2019, officers with extensive international experience were valued for military attaché positions in an embassy. However, in 2020 there was a turn, and began to exclude from entry officers who have already served in two or more foreign destinations, which caused astonishment among some of those affected: they did not understand that precisely those with international experience were vetoed.
This year 2021 there has been another change: for Defense advisers (not attached to embassies) they are allowed to choose again even if they have had several international destinations.
Furthermore, colonels seeking posts abroad did not miss a specific appointment.
As Defense Counselor in the Permanent Representation of Spain to the United Nations, in New York, Colonel Valentin Olombrada, who was pending assignment of assignment, has been elected.
Before, from 2017 to 2020, Olombrada was Defense Counselor in the Permanent Representation of Spain to the European Unionto, in Brussels. In November 2020 he was sent to the European mission in the Central African Republic as Chief of Staff, replacing another Spanish colonel.
The sources consulted by ECD indicate that Olombrada was direct chief of Lieutenant Colonel of the Marine Infantry Francisco Javier Carbonero Berdún. This officer is husband of the Director General of Defense Policy, Elena Gómez Castro.
Carbonero Berdún was Deputy Defense Counsel, that is, the number two of Valentín Olombrada in the Permanent Representation of Spain to the European Union. As Olombrada, left that position in the summer of 2020, after three years of his appointment.
The colonels harmed by Elena Gómez Castro’s decision to change the exclusion criteria for attaché positions abroad did not go unnoticed, and gave them a new reason for angerThat the Director General of Defense Policy select the person who had been her husband’s superior.
ECD He asked the Ministry of Defense if, due to this relationship, the Director General of Defense Policy had been inhibited in this appointment. Thirteen days later, the ministry had not responded.
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