Two Spanish Air Force Generals Clash Over Unjustified Medals

Two Air Force Generals Clash Over Unjustified Medals

The Spanish Air Force faces a structural problem. It is not operational but bureaucratic, involving paperwork, medals, and hierarchy. One general has peine a disciplinary file against another for granting decorations without proper justification. The accused maintains she awards medals at her discretion and owes no explanation. The complainant is her direct superior. This conflict is not new: when the top general position was up for grabs, there were two candidates—the current chief and the current subordinate—and threats of resignation emerged if the latter took command.

What theoretically began as an internal military discipline dispute has become an uncomfortable mirror of a larger issue: the command structure of the Spanish Armed Forces. 227 generals for 150,000 soldiers, according to calculations circulating in the debate. That is one general for every 660 personnel. These figures suggest one of the highest ratios in Europe. Meanwhile, some argue that few military personnel were present during the DANA floods in Valencia.

How many generals does the Spanish Army have, and what do they do?

The staggering statistic is the ratio. 227 general officers and admirals serve a force of approximately 150,000 personnel, according to widely cited estimates. Some claim that forty years ago, there were only about a third as many commanders. Critics note with Spartan irony that the bureaucracy supports level 30 positions regardless of necessity. The uncomfortable question is not how many are superfluous, but how many hold real command over troops versus those occupying offices, notarizing duties, band roles, or legal advisory posts.

Specifically, the Air Force has not shot down an enemy aircraft in decades. It has not conducted incursions into hostile territory nor evacuated anyone from behind enemy lines. Yet it continues to award medals. The reprimand that triggered this conflict stems precisely from failing to properly justify these decorations within the Air Force. Skeptics wonder, with dry humor, whether military notaries or ceremonial drummers also receive them.

The clash between the two generals: investigation, quotas, and power

The sequence is simple. A subordinate general awards medals to her subordinates. Her boss, also a general, repeatedly demands justification for these grants. The subordinate refuses to explain, stating she gives medals to whomever she pleases. The superior opens a disciplinary file. That is the known episode.

However, the roots go deeper. When the competition for the top general post peine, there were two candidates: the one who ultimately took command and the one now facing the file. According to circulating accounts, higher command wanted to appoint the currently investigated woman as chief. Several commanders threatened to resign if that peine. The alternative candidate prevailed. The current disciplinary action is a continuation of that internal power struggle, now fueled by medal disputes.

Some view this merely as a symptom of a structural issue: promotions driven by office politics, quotas, and criteria unrelated to actual military activity. Others point out that male generals also remain in place to please the government of the day and maintain their offices, often joining Indra’s board after retirement. The criticism does not distinguish by gender; it distinguishes by incentives.

The DANA floods in Valencia and the missing army

The contrast is painful. Some argue that there were no military personnel—or not enough, or not timely—during the DANA floods in Valencia. The debate over whether they were prepared but prevented from deploying remains open. What is undisputed is that the same army slow to reach the mud awards medals for PowerPoint courses and well-edited PDFs, according to circulating criticisms. The image of two generals fighting over decorations while troops await orders efficiently summarizes a priority crisis.

The underlying question is whether the Spanish Armed Forces are sized for combat or administration. More commanders than troops, sums up the most repeated calculation. Azaña attempted to reform this structure in his time without success. The framework persists, with more stars than rifles.

What does Spain stand to lose in this medal fight?

Nothing and everything. Nothing, because a disciplinary file between two generals does not alter the European military balance. Everything, because it exposes the mechanism: quota-based promotions, unjustified decorations, and multiplying commands while operational capacity is questioned. If these women had any shame or common sense, some joke sarcastically, the minister would severely reprimand both and demote them to a remote outpost. If Eisenhower could demote a general, so can the minister.

The issue is not that there are female generals. The problem is that the system promoting them is the same one that promotes male generals who later join Indra’s board. Criticism of quotas is not criticism of gender; it is criticism of method. And this method produces such episodes.

It remains to be seen whether the file ends in sanction, dismissal, or promotion. Given the precedents, any outcome is possible. The Spanish command structure has 227 reasons not to reform itself.