Huesca hosts the largest military parade in Spain since before the pandemic

Huesca, a city of only 54,000 inhabitants, has hosted this Saturday, on the occasion of Armed Forces Day, the largest military parade held in Spain since before the pandemic.

More than 3,200 soldiers, 69 aircraft (45 planes and 24 helicopters) and 117 wheeled or tracked vehicles, in addition to 40 motorcycles, have participated in the military parade.

The skies of the Aragonese town have been flown over by Eurofighter and F-18 combat planes and its streets traveled by Leopardo and Pizarro combat tanks.

On October 12, the traditional parade of the National Holiday was recovered in Madrid, but with a still limited format (2,650 soldiers) due to health restrictions.

The flag of NATO and those of the 30 countries that make up the Alliance have also paraded through the center of Huesca, to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the incorporation of Spain into the organization, on May 30, 1982, which is celebrated this Monday at the Teatro Real with a solemn ceremony attended by the 30 ambassadors of the member countries that make up the Atlantic Council from Brussels.

The commemoration will culminate in a month, on June 29 and 30, with the NATO summit in Madrid, which will be marked by the invasion of Ukraine, the incorporation of Sweden and Finland as new allies and the approval of the Concept Strategic, the road map of the Atlantic Alliance for the next ten years.

A unit of the French Gendarmerie also participated in the military parade this Saturday in Huesca,

The parade is the first to be held on the occasion of Armed Forces Day since 2019, when it took place in Seville, since in the following two years it had to be suspended due to covid.

Already in 2020 it was planned to celebrate it in Huesca, to highlight the reception at the headquarters of the Castillejos Division, which has meant the transfer to the Aragonese city of some 500 soldiers of the Army.

The most applauded by the thousands of people who have followed the military exhibition have been the soldiers of the Alta Montaña unit based in the neighboring town of Jaca (Huesca).

The parade was presided over by the Kings, who were received with cheers and applause from the public.

Felipe VI wore the uniform of a captain general of the Army and Queen Letizia, a light blue dress.

They have been accompanied by the Defense Minister, Margarita Robles;

the Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska;

the Minister of Education, Pilar Alegría, a native of Zaragoza;

the Chief of the Defense Staff, Admiral General Teodoro López Calderón;

the president of Aragon, Javier Lambán;

the director of the Civil Guard, María Gámez, and the mayor of Huesca, Luis Felipe Serrato;

among other civil and military authorities.

King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia, this Saturday in Huesca, during the Armed Forces Day parade. JAVIER BELVER (EFE)

Members of Navy units. JAVIER BELVER (EFE)

Members of the Legion.JAVIER BELVER (EFE)

Tanks, in the parade this Saturday. JAVIER BELVER (EFE)

Members of the Air Force. Verónica Lacasa (Europa Press)

King Felipe VI, at a moment of the parade. Verónica Lacasa (Europa Press)

A moment of the parade.JAVIER BELVER (EFE)

General view of a formation of soldiers. JAVIER BELVER (EFE)

Members of La Legión parade next to a white sheep, the mascot 'Quillo. Verónica Lacasa (Europa Press)

Members of the Melilla Regulares group. JAVIER BELVER (EFE)

The Kings president the act in Huesca, this Saturday. Verónica Lacasa (Europa Press)

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HUESCA, 05/28/2022.- A moment of the parade held this Saturday in Huesca during the central act of the Armed Forces Day.

EFE/Javier BelverJAVIER BELVER (EFE)

The Eagle Patrol soar through the sky during the parade in Huesca. JAVIER BELVER (EFE)

After the raising of the flag and the arrival of the Kings, the traditional tribute to those who gave their lives for Spain was celebrated, after which the Eagle Patrol of the Air Force drew the Spanish flag with colored smoke.

The air parade was then held (with the addition, as a novelty, of the Pilatus, the new training aircraft of the General Air Academy), followed by the land parade that the Legion and the regulars closed, as usual.

The first has kept a four-year-old white sheep named Quillo as a pet with a chapiri on its head.

In addition to units from the three armies, members of the Civil Guard and the Military Emergency Unit (UME) have paraded.

Unlike what happens when the parade is held at the Castellana in Madrid,

In the subsequent reception offered to the authorities at the Palacio de Congresos, Felipe VI thanked the organizers of the parade and the people of Huesca, "who have devoted themselves" to the Armed Forces, for having been able to celebrate a festivity, "we had desire to recover in all its splendor”.

After remembering the soldiers killed in the line of duty, he called for "not to ignore that there is a war at the gates of Europe", alluding to Ukraine, caused by "Russia's brutal and unjustified attack".

The Day of the Armed Forces is usually celebrated on the Saturday closest to May 30, the festival of San Fernando, and includes, in addition to the central act, numerous exhibitions and exhibitions throughout the week.