The

Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; es, Canarias, ), also known informally as the Canaries, are a Spanish autonomous community and archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, in Macaronesia. At their closest point to the African mainland, they are west of Morocc ...

are an

autonomous community eu, autonomia erkidegoa ca, comunitat autònoma gl, comunidade autónoma oc, comunautat autonòma an, comunidat autonoma ast, comunidá autónoma , alt_name = , map = , category = Autonomous administra ...

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 ...

. The headquarters of the Canary Islands military command is located in

Santa Cruz de Tenerife Santa Cruz de Tenerife, commonly abbreviated as Santa Cruz (), is a city, the capital of the island of Tenerife, Province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, and capital of the Canary Islands. Santa Cruz has a population of 206,593 (2013) within its admi ...

, in the

Palacio de la Capitanía General de Canarias Palacio (''palace'') is a Spanish habitational name. It may have originated from many places in Spain, especially in Galicia and Asturies. Notable people with the surname include: * Agustina Palacio de Libarona (1825-1880), Argentine writer, sto ...

. The following components of the

Spanish Armed Forces The Spanish Armed Forces are in charge of guaranteeing the sovereignty and independence of the Kingdom of Spain, defending its territorial integrity and the constitutional order, according to the functions entrusted to them by the Constitution o ...

are based in the Canary Islands:

Spanish Army

16th Light Infantry Brigade “Canarias” (Santa Cruz de Tenerife) composed of three light infantry regiments, one artillery regiement, an air defence regiment, an integral helicopter battalion and other supporting elements. Subordinate units include: *HQ Battalion * 9th Light Infantry Rgt. “Soria” (

Fuerteventura Fuerteventura () is one of the Canary Islands, in the Atlantic Ocean, part of the North Africa region, and politically part of Spain. It is located away from the northwestern coast of Africa. The island was declared a biosphere reserve by UNES ...

, Las Palmas) *49th Light Infantry Rgt. “Tenerife” (

, Tenerife) *50th Light Infantry Rgt. “Canarias” *93rd Field Artillery Rgt. ( 155/52mm howitzers, 105/37mm light guns and Mistral short-range SAMs) (

San Cristóbal de La Laguna San Cristóbal de La Laguna (commonly known as La Laguna, ) is a city and municipality in the northern part of the island of Tenerife in the Province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, on the Canary Islands, Spain. The city is the third-most populous ci ...

, Tenerife) *94th Air Defence Artillery Rgt. ( NASAMS medium-range air defence missiles, Mistral short-range SAMs and 35/90 SKYDOR anti-aircraft guns) *15th Engineer Battalion (San Cristóbal de La Laguna) *82nd Military logistics, Logistics Group *6th Helicopter Battalion ( AS332 Super Puma (3) and AB212 Twin Hueys (5))(San Cristóbal de La Laguna) *Signals Company

Spanish Air and Space Force

Mando Aéreo de Canarias Las Palmas de Gran Canaria The 46th Wing is to convert from the F-18 Hornet to the Tranche 4

Eurofighter Typhoon The Eurofighter Typhoon is a European multinational twin-engine, canard delta wing, multirole fighter. The Typhoon was designed originally as an air-superiority fighter and is manufactured by a consortium of Airbus, BAE Systems and Leonardo ...

starting in 2026.

Spanish Navy

Naval Command of the Canary Islands

There are seven local commands under the main Naval Command of the Canary Islands. * Naval Command of Santa Cruz de Tenerife * Naval Command of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria * Minor Naval Command of Santa Cruz de la Palma * Minor Naval Command of Hierro * Minor Naval Command of San Sebastián de la Gomera * Minor Naval Command of Puerto del Rosario (Fuerteventura) * Minor Naval Command of Arrecife de Lanzarote

Las Palmas Naval Base

The following vessels are assigned to

Las Palmas Naval Base Las Palmas Naval Base, also known as Arsenal of Las Palmas, is a military base and arsenal of the Spanish Navy located in the city of Las Palmas, Spain. It is the largest military base of the Spanish Navy on the African continent. History In 1922 ...

; * s: , , ,

Marine Infantry

Units of the

Marine Infantry Marines, or naval infantry, are typically a military force trained to operate in littoral zones in support of naval operations. Historically, tasks undertaken by marines have included helping maintain discipline and order aboard the ship (refle ...

are based in the Canary Islands. The Canarias Security Unit (USCAN) includes a security company and naval police company.

Civil Guard

Elements of the

Civil Guard Civil Guard refers to various policing organisations: Current * Civil Guard (Spain), Spanish gendarmerie * Civil Guard (Israel), Israeli volunteer police reserve * Civil Guard (Brazil), Municipal law enforcement corporations in Brazil Histori ...

and the

National Police National Police may refer to the national police forces of several countries: *Afghanistan: Afghan National Police *Haiti: Haitian National Police *Colombia: National Police of Colombia *Cuba: Cuban National Police *East Timor: National Police of ...

are also deployed in the territory for purposes of both border and internal security. The Civil Guard includes a maritime component and, as of 2020, at least two patrol boats and a national police helicopter were forward-deployed to

Senegal Senegal,; Wolof: ''Senegaal''; Pulaar: 𞤅𞤫𞤲𞤫𞤺𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭 (Senegaali); Arabic: السنغال ''As-Sinighal'') officially the Republic of Senegal,; Wolof: ''Réewum Senegaal''; Pulaar : 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 � ...

to assist in stemming illegal migrant traffic to the Canary Islands.

References

{{Military of Africa

Canary Islands