SPANISH AIR FORCE GENERAL RODRIGUEZ TO BE NEW

C O N F I D E N T I A L MADRID 000790 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR ELAINE SAMSON, EUR/WE OSD FOR COL PATRICK MCCLELLAND JOINT STAFF FOR COL VINCENT FREEMAN E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/18/2018 TAGS: PREL PGOV MARR SP SUBJECT: SPANISH AIR FORCE GENERAL RODRIGUEZ TO BE NEW CHIEF OF DEFENSE REF: A. USDAO MADRID IIR 6 889 0263 08 ¶B. MADRID 751 ¶C. MADRID 578 Classified By: Deputy Chief of Mission Hugo Llorens, for reasons 1.4(b) and (d). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: Spain's Council of Ministers approved July 18 the changes to Spanish military leadership alluded to by Defense Minister Carme Chacon in her June 30 congressional testimony. Chacon, who assumed charge of the MOD April 14, was on maternity leave beginning May 19. In all likelihood, the changes would otherwise have been announced even earlier in her tenure and, based on the positive feedback from key members of her policy staff (ref B) need not indicate anything more than a normal transition that gives a new minister the chance to put her stamp on the defense portfolio moving forward. Even in doing so, Chacon is respecting Spanish military traditions that can only win her further good favor among an officer corps already positively disposed to her leadership. The names announced July 18 include good partners likely to further already excellent military-to-military RELATIONS with the United States and to follow the lead of Minister Chacon in seeking to cooperate with the United States and, increasingly, in taking more of a leadership role in terms of Spain's international and NATO obligations. End Summary. //No Surprises: Air Force's Rodriguez to be New CHOD// ¶2. (C) Spain's new Jefe del Estado Mayor de Defensa (JEMAD or CHOD) is to be Spanish Air Force Lieutenant General Jose Julio Rodriguez Fernandez. Rodriguez had been the favored pick among Air Force candidates to succeed the outgoing Chief of Defense, Spanish Army General Felix Sanz Roldan, who has held the post for four years. With the July 18 announcement of a new Chief of Defense drawn from the Air Force, Spanish Defense Minister Carme Chacon has apparently maintained the traditional rotation of the CHOD position among the branches of the military. As reported previously (ref A),GEN Sanz had been a rather open advocate of changing the custom, arguing the GOS should select its best candidate from the current pool of three-star generals from all the services. As of July 3, the Minister was inclined to respect the tradition and nominate a candidate from the Air Force. LTG Rodriguez, age 60, is a career fighter pilot and a graduate of Spain's Air Force Academy and Air Force Staff College. Since May 2006, he has headed the Spanish MOD's Directorate of Armaments and Materiel (DIGAM). He speaks fluent English. ¶3. (C) COMMENT: Madrid's Office of Defense Cooperation has worked extensively with LTG Rodriguez for the past two years, while he has served in Spanish Air Force HQ as the Director of Plans/Programs. All Air Force FMS programs were coordinated and staffed with his office. Rodriquez is the Spanish National Armaments Director within NATO. He worked closely with the U.S. Representative (OSD AT&L),Mr. Young, on several NATO acquisitions programs. General Rodriquez visited the United States, including a meeting with the Deputy Secretary of Defense, in February 2007. He is pro-U.S., a strong advocate of jointness, and a strategic thinker. LTG Rodriguez is typically very quiet and speaks succinctly. End comment. //Remaining Service Chiefs// ¶4. (C) The following officers are due to heads their respective services, following the Council's approval: Chief of the Air Force -- General Jose Jimenez Ruiz. Jimenez, born in 1946, commanded until May 2008 one of the most important Spanish Air Force units for its location and its strike bombers fleet, the Canary Islands Air Force Command. His previous assignments include the Spanish Military Mission to NATO and SACLANT in Norfolk, Virginia. Chief of the Army -- Lieutenant General Fulgencio Coll. Coll, the founder and current commander of the Ministry of Defense's Joint Emergency Military Unit, was one of the rumored favorites for the position of Chief of Staff of the Army. His appointment, far better than other alternatives (ref A),should be good news for the Spanish Army and for the U.S.-Spain defense relationship. Coll served in Bosnia in 2000 and commanded the Spanish armored brigade deployed to Iraq between December 2004 and April 2004. Chief of the Navy -- Vice Admiral Manuel Rebollo. Currently second in command of the Spanish Navy, Rebollo has commanded amphibious and surface vessels and has taught tactics at Spain's Naval Academy. Outgoing Chief of Naval Operations Sebastian Zaragoza told close associates earlier he had been notified July 15 by Minister Chacon of her intent to replace him. Even though the most talked-about candidate for the Navy Chief was the current Director of the Joint Staff, Admiral Jose Maria Teran Elices (ref A),Rebollo,s name is not totally surprising. He is the current number two in the Navy and is beloved -- partly because he started his military career as an enlisted man at age 17. He is known to be pro-American and the DCM and other Embassy officers maintain good RELATIONS with him. Regardless of who heads it, of all the Spanish forces, the Navy is the most closely aligned with the United States in terms of inter-operability and its preference for U.S. equipment. ¶5. (C) COMMENT: The Socialists are at once bucking the progressive outlook of the outgoing CHOD, who had favored opening up the position to all Lieutenant generals across the armed forces, and appeasing the military traditionalists and the Spanish Air Force whose "turn" it was in succession. At a minimum, the decision demonstrates the new Minister's political savvy and ability to make friends and influence people within the sometimes crusty Spanish officer corps. It also indicates the sway she holds over President Zapatero, who technically names his Chief of Defense. In addition to confirming the remaining service chiefs, Chacon's by right to appoint as she testified June 30 was her intent to do, the fate of outgoing General Sanz is a question yet to be answered. Sanz has served well and faithfully for longer than most CHODs, and has reportedly been assured that he will have a "new mission" for the GOS. Sources close to the CHOD have told Post he is pleased with his new as-yet unnamed berth. Aguirre