A large deployment of Spanish special operations units in Bulgaria

Bulgaria will be the venue for Steadfast Dart 25, the largest NATO-organised exercise planned for this year.

EZAPAC: the green berets of the Spanish Air Force exhibit their means
A spectacular exercise of the Spanish Special Naval Warfare Force in Galicia

The exercise will begin on February 10 and conclude on the 21st of this month. On this occasion, the exercise takes place at a time when the Joint Special Operations Command (MCOE) of Spain is directing the NATO Special Operations Component (from June 2024 to June 2026), as reported by the Defense Staff (EMAD).

The EMAD has indicated that Spain will deploy 3,200 soldiers across the four components of the Alliance (land, sea, air and special operations). 370 Spanish soldiers participate in the NATO Special Operations Component Command.

"The deployment began on January 25 with the transfer by land, air and sea of ​​around 50 combat vehicles - mainly VAMTAC light vehicles and CNPTT heavy vehicles -, two NH 90 helicopters, which flew from Spain to Bulgaria, as well as military personnel from different operational units, in addition to other support units, who will participate in this demanding allied training activity", the EMAD said.

#BuenosDías, @EjercitoAire! 🤝 @AirBulgarian
Военнослужещи и два хеликоптера NH90 на 🇪🇸 ВВС се пребазираха на 🇧🇬 22-ра авиационна база (Безмер) – готови за участие в #SteadfastDart25, най-голямото за годината НАТО учение.#𝐍𝐀𝐓𝐎 | #𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿𝗧𝗼𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿@NATO_AIRCOM pic.twitter.com/D9lPWgZYRF

— MoD Bulgaria (@BulgariaMod) February 7, 2025

The two NH-90 helicopters deployed in Bulgaria belong to the 48th Wing of the Spanish Air Force. The Bulgarian Ministry of Defence has published this video interviewing the Spanish aviators who have flown to that country with these aircraft.

Among the photos published about this deployment, you can see EINSA Netón light special operations vehicles (VLOE), both from the Army's Special Operations Command (MOE) (in olive green) and from the Navy's Special Naval Warfare Force (FGNE) (recognizable by being painted sand-colored).

Among the vehicles deployed are also VAMTAC ST-5 VMOE, used by the MOE and the regular VAMTAC ST-5 of the MOE and the FGNE (the latter with NATO camouflage in three colors). The deployment also includes trucks of various types, ambulance vehicles and Santana Aníbal all-terrain vehicles.

"For this exercise, the Special Operations Component Command, led by the MCOE and with contributions from the Armies and the Navy, is made up of a Headquarters, several tactical groups, helicopters, a communications unit and a Support unit. All of them will deploy to different points in Bulgarian and Greek geography to practice logistical procedures and to collaborate with other special operations units as part of the ARF training objectives", adds the EMAD.

The Defence Staff points out that "Steadfast Dart 25 will demonstrate that the ARF is a strategic, high-availability, multi-domain and multinational capability that can be rapidly deployed and used to reinforce deterrence in times of peace and crisis, as well as support the defence of the Alliance in conflict. In this context, it is about testing the interoperability and rapid deployment capacity of the four elements that make up ARF-24: land, air, maritime and special operations component commands."

You can see more photos of the deployment phase of the Spanish special operations units and their support elements for this exercise here.

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Photos: Estado Mayor de la Defensa / MoD Bulgaria / Ejército de Tierra / NATO JFC Naples.