The Common Corps of the Armed Forces are Spanish military corps that are shared by all the branches of the Spanish Armed Forces providing specific professional expertise. The Common Corps are four; the Military Legal Corps (legal assistance), the Military Comptroller Corps (audit and accountability), the Military Health Corps (medical personnel) and the Military Bands Corps (military bands). [1] Currently, 3,998 Officers and NCOs make up the Common Corps. [2] The educational centres of the Common Corps are part of the Central Defence Academy.
Until the 1980s each of the branches of the Armed Forces had specific corps to undertake the tasks currently taken by the Common Corps. Due to operational reasons these corps were merged into the common corps that depend on the undersecretariat of the Ministry of Defence. In 1985 the Comptroller Corps were merged, in 1988 the Legal Corps were merged, and in 1989 the Medical and Bands Corps were merged.
The Military Forces of Colombia are the unified armed forces of the Republic of Colombia. They consist of the Colombian Army, the Colombian Navy and the Colombian Air Force. The National Police of Colombia, although technically not part of the military, is controlled and administered by the Ministry of National Defence, and national conscription also includes service in the National Police, thus making it a de facto gendarmerie and a branch of the military. The President of Colombia is the military's commander in chief, and helps formulate defense policy through the Ministry of National Defence, which is in charge of day-to-day operations.
The Peruvian Armed Forces are the military services of Peru, comprising independent Army, Navy and Air Force components. Their primary mission is to safeguard the country's independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity against any threat. As a secondary mission they participate in economic and social development as well as in civil defense tasks.
A military band is a group of personnel that performs musical duties for military functions, usually for the armed forces. A typical military band consists mostly of wind and percussion instruments. The conductor of a band commonly bears the title of Bandmaster or Director of Music. Ottoman military bands are thought to be the oldest variety of military marching bands in the world, dating from the 13th century.
The Civil Guard is the oldest law enforcement agency in Spain and is one of two national police forces. As a national gendarmerie force, it is military in nature and is responsible for civil policing under the authority of both the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Defence. The role of the Ministry of Defence is limited except in times of war when the Ministry has exclusive authority. The corps is colloquially known as the benemérita (reputable). In annual surveys, it generally ranks as the national institution most valued by Spaniards, closely followed by other law enforcement agencies and the military.
The National Police Corps is the national civilian police force of Spain. The CNP is mainly responsible for policing urban areas, whilst rural policing is generally the responsibility of the Civil Guard, the Spanish gendarmerie. The CNP operates under the authority of Spain's Ministry of the Interior. They mostly handle criminal investigation, judicial, terrorism and immigration matters. The powers of the National Police Corps varies according to the autonomous communities. For example, Ertzaintza in the Basque Country and Mossos d'Esquadra in Catalonia are the primary police agencies. In Navarra they share some duties jointly with Policía Foral (Foruzaingoa).
The Spanish Naval Infantry is the naval infantry unit of the Spanish Navy responsible for conducting amphibious warfare by utilizing naval platforms and resources. They would be the boarding party as well as man the cannons, The Marine Corps is fully integrated into the Armada's structure.
The Spanish Armed Forces are in charge of guaranteeing the sovereignty and independence of the kingdom of Spain, defending its territorial integrity and the constitutional order, according to the functions entrusted to them by the Constitution of 1978. They are composed of: the Army, the Air Force, the Navy, the Royal Guard and the Military Emergency Unit, as well as the so-called Common Corps.
Law enforcement in Spain is carried out by numerous organizations, not all of which operate in the same areas.
Carabineros de Chile are the Chilean national law enforcement police, who have jurisdiction over the entire national territory of Chile. Created in 1927, their mission is to maintain order and create public respect for the laws of the country. They reported to the Ministerio de Defensa Nacional through the Undersecretary of Carabineros but since 2011, the Ministry of the Interior and Public Security has full control over them. They are in practice separated fully from the three other military branches by department but still considered part of the armed forces. Chile also has an investigative police force, the Investigations Police of Chile, also under the Interior and Public Security Ministry; a Maritime Police also exists for patrol of Chile's coastline.
The Royal and Military Order of Saint Hermenegild is both a general military honor and a legion created by Ferdinand VII of Spain on 28 November 1814.
The unification of the Canadian Armed Forces took place on 1 February 1968, when the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army, and Royal Canadian Air Force were merged to form the Canadian Armed Forces.
The Ministry of Defence (MINISDEF) is the department of the Government of Spain responsible for planning, developing and carrying out the general guidelines of the Government about the defence policy and the managing of the military administration. It is the administrative and executive body of the Spanish Armed Forces.
The Chief of the Defence Staff (JEMAD) is the highest-ranking military officer in the Spanish Armed Forces and is the principal military advisor to the Prime Minister, the Minister of Defence, the National Defence Council and the National Security Council. It is the fourth military authority of the country after the Monarch, the Prime Minister and the Minister of Defence because the Secretary of State for Defence and the Under Secretary of Defence do not have military authority.
The Defence Staff, based in Madrid, is an organ of the Ministry of Defence that operates as an auxiliary to the Chief of the Defense Staff (JEMAD) within the organic structure of the Spanish Armed Forces and in a military hierarchical position of dependence on the former.
The Secretary of State for Defence (SEDEF) is the second-highest-ranking official in the Ministry of Defence of Spain. The SEDEF is a civilian which is appointed by the King with the advice of the Defence Minister. In spite of being the second authority of the Ministry, it is behind the Chief of the Defence Staff as far as military control is concerned.
General of the Army(Spanish: General de Ejército), also called Army General, is a four-star general officer and the second highest possible rank in the Spanish Army. A General of the Army ranks immediately above a Lieutenant general and is equivalent to an Admiral General and a General of the Air. There is no equivalent in the Civil Guard or in the Spanish Navy Marines; in both cases the top rank is Lieutenant General.
General of the Air(Spanish: General del Aire) also called Air General, is a four-star general officer and the second highest possible rank in the Spanish Air Force. A General of the Air ranks immediately above a Lieutenant general and is equivalent to a General of the Army and an Admiral General. There is not equivalent in the Civil Guard or in the Spanish Navy Marines; in both cases the top rank is Lieutenant general.
The Office of the Comptroller General of the Defence is a department of the Ministry of Defence of Spain that exercises the internal audit of the economic and financial management of the Ministry and of the public agencies dependent on it. Likewise, it is responsible for acting as the military notary in the form and conditions established by the laws and for advising in matters of its competence to the superior and directive departments of the Ministry. The Office is integrated in the Undersecretariat of Defence but it reports to the Comptroller General.
The Central Defence Academy is a military training center of the Common Corps of the Spanish Armed Forces located in the city of Carabanchel, Madrid. The center is responsible for providing specialization training to officers and non-commissioned officers in the Spanish Armed Forces and its service branches. The ACD consists of affiliate schools which specialize in areas of speciality in the Spanish Army It was created in response to the provisions of the Royal Decree of King Felipe VI on 20 June 2014. It is regulated by the Order of the Ministry of Defense (MINISDEF) on 9 September 2015. The ACD reports directly to the General Directorate of Recruitment and Military Education of the Ministry of Defense. The director of the academy is an officer with the rank of general officer who also serves as the assistant director general of the Military Education Service
The Chief of the Joint Defence Staff (JEMACON) is a high-ranking military officer. The JEMACON is the closest assistant and advisor to the Chief of the Defence Staff and it is appointed by the Monarch at the request of the Minister of Defence.