Overview
- Felipe VI, Queen Letizia and Princess Leonor presided over the ceremony at the Royal Palace, which opened the military year with decorations and formal addresses.
- The King cited a growing sense of danger reaching the heart of Europe and called for well‑trained, well‑equipped forces alongside sustained investment and credible deterrence.
- Defence Minister Margarita Robles defended multilateralism and cautioned that actions outside international law lack legitimacy, remarks delivered after the recent U.S. operation in Venezuela.
- Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez did not attend, traveling to Paris for a Coalition for Ukraine meeting, a decision criticized by opposition leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo.
- Leonor attended as an AGA alférez after completing her first solo flight in December and remains on track to finish this phase in mid‑2026, with Murcia set to award her its Gold Medal.