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Spanish Army (Ejercito de Tierra) - Order of Battle

One interesting development is the defacto disappearance of the divisional level in the organization of the Spanish Army. While there was still one division-type unit in the Spanish Army as of the year 2000, the philosophy, as in most of the NATO countries, was to employ mainly brigade-size forces, integrated in a multinational component. The disappearance of the traditional enemy and the increasing contribution of the Army to peacekeeping or peacemaking missions, helped make the role of the Cavalry increasingly ambiguous and vague. This led ultimately to the disappearance of the divisional level and made the brigade-size unit the usual basis in European armies. The tercio is a unit intermediate between a regiment and a brigade.

The new policy was also to allow the modern mechanized infantry brigades to provide for their own security and scouting, taking over the responsibilities once carried out by cavalry units. This was perhaps not the most effective approach, but it was mandated by budget and personnel concerns. The new missions made redundant the traditional operational mission of the cavalry; in most cases, cavalry units were doing no more and no less than mechanized infantry units.

Ever since the so called New World Order started and defense budgets were severely reduced, the Spanish Cavalry had been under permanent scrutiny and perhaps was the branch of the Spanish Army that suffered most. By the year 2000 the Spanish Cavalry had only a vague resemblance to its proud past, while its missions and role had not diminished. Durng the Cold War the Spanish Cavalry fielded almost 11 cavalry squadrons for home defense,and two independent armored brigades, plus the divisional units — three more light armored cavalry regiments. By 2000,, only an independent light armored brigade — Armored Cavalry Brigaden.2 “Castillejos,” plus a light armored regiment — Light Armored CavalryRegiment n.14 “Villaviciosa” (integrated in the mechanized infantry division “Brunete”) besides the Regiment “Lusitania” of the FAR, remained active.

Under the new strategic environment, the Spanish Cavalry was extensively involved in the Balkans, either in Bosnia or in Kosovo, while its equipment and doctrine were not entirely adequate to the new tasks, specifically for the scouting/recce jobs in the out-of-area and other-than-war operations environment.

Army HQ is made up of the six organisations which report directly to the Chief of the Army Staff. The Operational Logistics Force is the group of Army Units that have the mission of preparedness to provide the logistic support needed for operations; the support derived from host nation operational logistic support missions; at their level, the logistic support needed by Army Units Centers and Organisations to maintain their operational capabilities, by complementing the permanet logistic support structure in undertaking the personel, supply, maintenance, transport and medical logistic functions, in the manner determined by the Army Comamand Direction System.

High Readiness Land Headquarters [HRF(L) HQ] is an organisation of a national character whose principal mission is preparedness for use as a command structure in specific land or joint operations in a purely national scope, or within the scope of collective Security and Defense organisations. The Land Force is a group of Army Units that have the principal mission of preparedness to create, rapidly and effectively, specific operational land organisations to undertake military operations that are capable of being integrated in other joint and combined operations in order to materialise the required military effort.

The Canary Island Commad is a set of Army Units located on the Canary Island archipelago that have the principal mission of preparedness to rapidly and effectively constitute specific operational land organisations to undertake military operations capable of integrating other joint and combined operations in order to materialise the required military force.

The 7th Cavalry Reconnaissance Group "Santiago" was created on 01 January 2010, the newest combat unit of Spain. This newly created unit came from the transformation of the former 9the Cavalry Light Armored Group [RCLAC - Caballeria Ligero Acorazado] "Numancia" and the integration of the XII Cavalry Reconnaissance Regiment [Regimiento de Caballería de Reconocimiento] "Farnesio". Part of the staff of both units were the origins of the new VII Cavalry Reconnaissance Group of Cavalry "Santiago" belonging to the airborne VII Light Infantry Brigade [BRILAT] "Galicia".