Miguel Ángel Ballesteros (born 1953) is a

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 ...

artillery officer. Ballesteros is an expert in

geopolitics Geopolitics (from Greek γῆ ''gê'' "earth, land" and πολιτική ''politikḗ'' "politics") is the study of the effects of Earth's geography (human and physical) on politics and international relations. While geopolitics usually refers to ...

, security strategies and prevention of terrorism. Since June 2018, he serves as the 3rd Director of the Homeland Security Department.

Biography

Ballesteros was born in

Segovia Segovia ( , , ) is a city in the autonomous community of Castile and León, Spain. It is the capital and most populated municipality of the Province of Segovia. Segovia is in the Inner Plateau (''Meseta central''), near the northern slopes of th ...

, in 1953. Ballesteros joined the

General Military Academy The General Military Academy (in Spanish: Academia General Militar) is a higher training center of the Spanish Army, responsible for the initial training for officers of the Arms and Corps of the Army, and for the officers of the Civil Guard. I ...

in 1972, choosing the Artillery Weapon branch whose academy is in his native

. After passing the studies, he was promoted to Lieutenant of Artillery in 1976. He was assigned to different positions in the Artillery Weapon branch and in the General Staff, highlighting his destiny to the Operational Military Research Center of the

Ministry of Defence {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in states ...

. He has a degree in Operational Research from the

University of Valencia The University of Valencia ( ca-valencia, Universitat de València ; also known as UV) is a public research university located in the city of Valencia, Spain. It is one of the oldest surviving universities in Spain, and the oldest in the Vale ...

(1979), a diploma in the General Staff (1991), he conducted courses on Strategy and the USSR in World Policy at the

National University of Distance Education The National Distance Education University, known in Spanish as ''Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia'' (UNED), is a public research university of national scope. The university was founded in 1972 under the Ministry of Universities. ...

(1991-1992) and a PhD from the

Pontifical University of Salamanca The Pontifical University of Salamanca (in Spanish: ''Universidad Pontificia de Salamanca'') is a private Roman Catholic university based in Salamanca, Spain. History This Pontifical University has its origins in the unique University of ...

with a thesis entitled "Methodology to develop a national security strategy". Due to this thesis he was granted with the 2015 Extraordinary Award by the Faculty of Political Science of Madrid. A specialist in

and in

terrorism Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of criminal violence to provoke a state of terror or fear, mostly with the intention to achieve political or religious aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violen ...

and

jihadism Jihadism is a neologism which is used in reference to "militant Islamic movements that are perceived as existentially threatening to the West" and "rooted in political Islam."Compare: Appearing earlier in the Pakistani and Indian media, Wes ...

prevention, from 1995 to September 2012 he has been an associate professor at the Pontifical University of Salamanca and since October 2015 at the Faculty of Political and Social Sciences of the

Complutense University of Madrid The Complutense University of Madrid ( es, Universidad Complutense de Madrid; UCM, links=no, ''Universidad de Madrid'', ''Universidad Central de Madrid''; la, Universitas Complutensis Matritensis, links=no) is a public research university loca ...

. He has also directed several summer courses at the Complutense University of Madrid at the

Escorial El Escorial, or the Royal Site of San Lorenzo de El Escorial ( es, Monasterio y Sitio de El Escorial en Madrid), or Monasterio del Escorial (), is a historical residence of the King of Spain located in the town of San Lorenzo de El Escorial, up ...

, at the

Menéndez Pelayo International University Menéndez Pelayo International University ("UIMP" in Spanish) is a public university with administrative headquarters in Madrid and campuses in Santander, Valencia, Barcelona, Cartagena, Cuenca, Granada, La Línea de la Concepción, Seville and ...

and at the

International University of Andalusia International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations". International may also refer to: Music Albums * ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011 * ''International'' (New Order album), 2002 * ''International'' (The T ...

Seville Seville (; es, Sevilla, ) is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula ...

. He is also a collaborating professor in the master of terrorism prevention at the

Rey Juan Carlos University Rey Juan Carlos University ( es, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, URJC) is a Spanish public research university located in the southern area of the Community of Madrid (Spain), with five campuses at Móstoles, Alcorcón, Vicálvaro, Aranjuez and Fu ...

. He was the first head of the satellite center "Spanish Helios Main Center" and head of the 'Brand Team' for the development of the HELIOS multinational satellite program ( French,

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

and

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

reconnaissance satellites). Between 2002 and 2008, he was the Head of the Department of Strategy and International Relations of the College of the Armed Forces (ESFAS) of the Higher Center for Defense Studies (CESEDEN). In 2009 he was appointed

General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...

Director of the Spanish Institute for Strategic Studies (IEEE) and as a specialist in security and jihadism has published numerous articles in specialized publications, in addition to being a regular contributor to various media. On 19 June 2018, Ballesteros was appointed as the 3rd Director of the Homeland Security Department, an advisory body of the

Cabinet Office The Cabinet Office is a department of His Majesty's Government responsible for supporting the prime minister and Cabinet. It is composed of various units that support Cabinet committees and which co-ordinate the delivery of government objecti ...

. He is also the first director that is not at the same time Moncloa Deputy Chief of Staff.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ballesteros, Miguel Angel 1953 births Spanish generals Living people University of Valencia alumni Pontifical University of Salamanca alumni Academic staff of the Complutense University of Madrid