Fernando Alejandre Martínez (born 1956) is

Spanish Army The Spanish Army ( es, Ejército de Tierra, lit=Land Army) is the terrestrial army of the Spanish Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is one of the oldest active armies — dating back to the late 15th century. The ...

officer. A General of the Army, he served as the 10th Chief of the Defence Staff of

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

from 24 March 2017 to 15 January 2020, when was ceased and succeeded by Miguel Ángel Villarroya Vilalta.

Career

Alejandre Martínez was born in 1956 in

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...

. He obtained the rank of

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

of engineers in 1979. On 24 March 2017 he was promoted to General of the Army. He began his military career by serving in the Mixed Battalion of Parachute Engineers of the Army. He was at the head of the Company of Paratroopers. In 1991, he was among the liaison officers deployed to Incirlik's Turkish base to organize the deployment of a Spanish contingent who provided humanitarian aid in northern Iraq during the

Gulf War The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Iraq were carried out in two key phases: ...

. He returned to the Parachute Brigade, before moving to the Army War School (at that time School of General Staff) to teach tactics. During 1994, once again abroad, he received the command of the Engineers of the Spanish Tactical Association sent to

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and H ...

. After receiving the position of

lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

, he served as chief of staff of the Army Command of Engineers and having already become an officer of the General Staff, was assigned to the Land Operations Center of the Army's General Staff Operations Division. He later headed the Operations Section of the Rapid Action Force Headquarters. Ascended to

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

, he received the command of the Pontoneros Regiment and Engineers Specialties number 12, with quartering in the city of

Zaragoza Zaragoza, also known in English as Saragossa,''Encyclopædia Britannica'"Zaragoza (conventional Saragossa)" is the capital city of the Zaragoza Province and of the autonomous community of Aragon, Spain. It lies by the Ebro river and its tributari ...

, before being appointed military advisor in the

Ministry of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the government department responsible for the state's diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral relations affairs as well as for providing support for a country's citizens who are abroad. The entit ...

at the time in which

Miguel Angel Moratinos --> Miguel is a given name and surname, the Portuguese and Spanish form of the Hebrew name Michael (given name), Michael. It may refer to: Places *Pedro Miguel, a parish in the municipality of Horta and the island of Faial in the Azores Islands ...

was titular of this one Department. During 2003, he was director of the

KFOR KFOR may refer to: * KFOR (AM), a radio station (1240 AM) licensed to Lincoln, Nebraska, United States * KFOR-TV, a television station (channel 4 analog/27 digital) licensed to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States * KFOR-TV (Nebraska), a defunct ...

Joint Operations Center at the Film City base in

Pristina Pristina, ; sr, / (, ) is the capital and largest city of Kosovo. The city's municipal boundaries in Pristina District form the largest urban center in Kosovo. After Tirana, Pristina has the second largest population of ethnic Albanians and ...

. In 2010, he was promoted to

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

, and he was appointed head of the Operations Division of the General Staff of the Army. Two years later, as a

division general Divisional general is a general officer rank who commands an army division. The rank originates from the French (Revolutionary) System, and is used by a number of countries. The rank is above a brigade general, and normally below an army corp ...

, he was sent to the

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

Allied Military Headquarters in Europe (

SHAPE A shape or figure is a graphics, graphical representation of an object or its external boundary, outline, or external Surface (mathematics), surface, as opposed to other properties such as color, Surface texture, texture, or material type. A pl ...

) as the second chief of staff for resources. In October 2015, promoted to

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

, he was assigned to the

Brunssum Brunssum (; li, Broensem) is a municipality and a town in the province of Limburg in the Netherlands. The municipality of Brunssum has residents as of . Brunssum was a center of coal mining until 1973. Population centres Topography Histor ...

base (

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

) as the deputy head of the NATO Joint Forces Command. This position was the one of greater rank of the NATO occupied by a Spanish military at that moment. He stopped at this destination on March 24, 2017, when it was announced that he would be named Chief of the Defence Staff. He was dismissed on January 15, 2020.

Awards

ESP Gran Cruz Merito Militar (Distintivo Blanco) pasador

Grand Cross of Military Merit (White Badge). * ESP_Orden_de_San_Hermenegildo_Gran_Cruz_pasador

Grand Cross of the Royal and Military Order of San Hermenegild. * ESP Orden de San Hermenegildo Placa pasador

Commander with Star of the Royal and Military Order of Saint Hermenegild. * ESP Orden de San Hermenegildo Encomienda pasador

Commander ofRoyal and Military Order of Saint Hermenegild. * ESP Orden de San Hermenegildo Cruz pasador

Cross of the Royal and Military Order of San Hermenegild. * ESP Cruz Merito Militar (Distintivo Blanco) pasador

Cross of Military Merit The Cross of Military Merit ( es, Cruces del Mérito Militar) is Spain's military awards for gallantry or merit in war or peace. Awarded to members of the Spanish Armed Forces, Guardia Civil or civilians. History and attribution Established o ...

(White Badge) Seven times. *

Medal of Suffering for the Motherland A medal or medallion is a small portable artistic object, a thin disc, normally of metal, carrying a design, usually on both sides. They typically have a commemorative purpose of some kind, and many are presented as awards. They may be int ...

(Green Badge for being injured at peace). * ONZ Medal w Służbie Pokoju UNPROFOR BAR

United Nations Medal A United Nations Medal is an international decoration An international decoration is a military award which is not bestowed by a particular country, but rather by an international organization such as the United Nations or NATO. Such awards ar ...

( Protection Force in

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

and

). *

Meritorious Service Medal A Meritorious Service Medal is an award presented to denote acts of meritorious service, and sometimes gallantry, that are worthy of recognition. Notable medals with similar names include: *Meritorious Civilian Service Award *Meritorious Service Med ...

of the

United States of America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territo ...

. * NATO Non-Article 5 medal for the Balkans. * US Legion of Merit Chief Commander ribbon

Chief Commander of the

Legion of Merit The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements. The decoration is issued to members of the eight ...

(2018) *

Serge Lazareff Prize The Serge Lazareff Medal is an international decoration given to civilians and military personnel within the framework of the Office of Legal Affairs of the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe of the NATO, North Atlantic Treaty Organization ...

(2018). *

Knight's Cross of the Royal and American Order of Isabella the Catholic. * Order of Civil Guard Merit (White Badge). * Legion_of_Honour_-_Commander_(France)

Commander of the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon, ...

(2019) Badges * Emblem of the Spanish Air Force Parachute

Parachutist Badge. * Badge of Permanence in Parachute Forces of the Army. * Badge of Permanence in the General Staff of the Army. * US Army Airborne basic parachutist badge

Parachutist Badge A parachutist badge (or parachutist brevet) is a military badge awarded by the armed forces of many states to soldiers who have received parachute training and completed the required number of jumps. It is difficult to assess which country was th ...

. *

United States Army Engineer School The United States Army Engineer School (USAES) is located at Fort Leonard Wood (military base), Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. It was founded as a School of Engineering by General Headquarters Orders, Valley Forge on 9 June 1778. The U.S. Army Engine ...

Crest. * Badge of Military Headquarters Allied in Europe (

). * Badge of NATO Joint Forces Command Barracks Distinguished in

. *

Coat of Arms of the Spanish Defence Staff-EMAD

Badge of the Chief of the Defence Staff (Spain).

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alejandre Martinez, Fernando 1956 births Living people Military personnel from Madrid Spanish generals Chiefs of the Defence Staff (Spain) Grand Crosses of the Royal and Military Order of San Hermenegild Recipients of the Order of Isabella the Catholic Chief Commanders of the Legion of Merit Commanders of the Legion of Honour