King and Queen in Granada

ON Friday June 2 Motril on the coast of Granada played host to Spain’s Armed Forces Day with more than 2,000 soldiers and a dozen ships, which included paratroopers and helicopters on the beachfront.

On Saturday, June 3, the events continued as King Felipe and Queen Letizia presided over the events of the land and air parade through the centre of Granada. Also in attendance was the

Defence Minister, Margarita Robles, who witnessed the participation of more than 3,100 soldiers, 150 vehicles and mobile units and 70 aircraft.

Armed Forces Day is a military spectacle which takes place in a different location each year. This was the first time the event had been held in a coastal city since 2011, when Malaga was the chosen city. The event culminated with the traditional land and air parade, which covered 1.3 kilometres through the centre of the capital of Granada.

This year also saw a milestone for Armed Forces Day when for the first time a woman, Corporal Carmen Gómez Hurtado, representing the Parachuting Acrobatic Patrol of the Air and Space Army (PAPEA), performed the parachute jump carrying the Spanish flag.