Spanish soldiers from EZAPAC during a shooting exercise in the US amid heightened tensions

Spain and the United States are experiencing one of the most tense moments between the two countries in recent decades.

Spanish wolves in the US: two NH90 military helicopters from Wing 48 in Sentry South
The arrival of two Spanish NH90 Lobo helicopters in the USA aboard two A400Ms

The criticisms of Pedro Sánchez's government regarding Operation Epic Fury, aimed at overthrowing the Iranian dictatorship, and its veto of the use of the Spanish bases of Rota and Morón by US aircraft participating in that military intervention, have generated great indignation in the United States, and specifically in Washington DC, which was reflected yesterday in a threat from Donald Trump of possible trade reprisals that could have serious effects on Spanish defense.

The tension has continued today. Pedro Sánchez has revived the "no to war" slogan that the Spanish far left used against the allied intervention in Iraq but later forgot in relation to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Following those messages, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated that Spain had agreed to cooperate with the U.S. military, in what could be yet another "change of heart" (as he calls them) by Sánchez. The Spanish government was quick to deny it, but after so many lies over eight years, its credibility has run out.

Amid this political tension, a group of Spanish military personnel is participating in a special operations exercise in Mississippi, United States. The exercise, called Southern Strike 2026, is organized by the U.S. Army National Guard and has involved the deployment to that country of two NH90 helicopters and a C295M tactical transport plane, in an important logistical deployment in which two large A400M Atlas transport aircraft have participated.

As we saw here on February 17, the Spanish Air Force has sent 12 soldiers from the Parachute Sapper Squadron (EZAPAC), its special operations unit, to this exercise. Two of the soldiers are assigned to staff, two to support roles, and eight to the operational team.

This Monday, the U.S. Army National Guard released two sets of photos (here and here) showing Spanish operators from the EZAPAC special operations group during a live-fire exercise as part of the Sentry South 26-2 phase of these maneuvers. The photos were taken on February 28, the day the U.S. and Israel launched Operation Epic Fury against the Iranian regime.

These images were taken at Camp Shelby Joint Forces Training Center (CSJFTC), a National Guard military installation in southern Mississippi. Established in 1917, the CSJFTC is currently used for battalion-sized exercises, generally by U.S. Army Reserve soldiers, but also by units from other branches of the U.S. Armed Forces.

"Sentry South 26-2 applies joint and combined warfighting doctrine against realistic and robust enemy integrated threat systems, all while under safe and controlled conditions," the National Guard stated.

In the images we see some EZAPAC soldiers with 5.56 mm caliber Heckler & Koch G36KV carbines (above), a short-barreled (318 mm) version of the G36E assault rifle used by the Spanish Armed Forces. The soldier in this photo is wearing a patch with the initials JTAC on his helmet, which identifies him as a Joint Terminal Attack Controller, as soldiers trained to direct air strikes, artillery, or naval support from the ground, often penetrating behind enemy lines, are known.

In this other photo we see an EZAPAC operator with a G36KV carbine equipped with a suppressor on its barrel. The soldier is wearing a patch on his right arm with the high-visibility emblem of that special operations unit of the Spanish Air Force.

In these final three images, we see three soldiers from the EZAPAC practicing precision shooting with a Heckler & Koch G28 rifle, chambered in 7.62 mm. It is a variant of the HK 417 rifle from the same manufacturer, a weapon highly valued by special operations forces. The EZAPAC received a batch of these rifles two years ago.

I hope that these Spanish soldiers do not have to suffer the consequences of the irresponsibility of our politicians, who so often put their personal and party interests before national interests, exposing good professionals like those of the EZAPAC, elite soldiers who assume a great commitment and enormous sacrifices to defend Spain from any threat.

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Photos: U.S. Army National Guard.