Fernando Alejandre Martínez Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Fernando Alejandre Martínez
Alejandre Martínez in 2017
Born	1956 (age 68–69) Madrid, Spain
Allegiance	Spain
Service/branch	Spanish Army
Years of service	1979–2020
Rank	General of the Army
Commands held	• Company of Paratroopers • Chief of Staff of the Army Command of Engineers • Operations Section of the Rapid Action Force Headquarters • Regiment of Pontoneros and Specialties of Engineers nº. 12 • Operations Division of the Chief of Army Staff Second chief of staff for resources Second head of the NATO Joint Forces Command
Awards	See Awards

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal family name is Alejandre and the second or maternal family name is Martínez.

Fernando Alejandre Martínez (born in 1956) is a retired officer from the Spanish Army. He reached the highest rank, General of the Army.

From 2017 to 2020, he held the important job of Chief of the Defence Staff. This means he was the head of all of Spain's military forces. He was succeeded by Air General Miguel Ángel Villarroya.

Military Career
Awards
See also

Military Career

Fernando Alejandre Martínez was born in Madrid in 1956. He joined the army and became a lieutenant of engineers in 1979. His career lasted for over 40 years.

Early Years

He started his career with a special unit of parachute engineers. He was the leader of a Company of Paratroopers.

In 1991, during the Gulf War, he helped organize a Spanish group that provided humanitarian aid in northern Iraq. After that, he returned to the Parachute Brigade and later taught tactics at the Army War School.

In 1994, he was sent to Bosnia and Herzegovina. There, he was in command of the engineers in a Spanish military group.

Rising Through the Ranks

After being promoted to lieutenant colonel, he worked as a chief of staff for the Army's engineering command. He also worked in the Army's main operations center.

As a colonel, he led an engineering regiment in Zaragoza. Later, he became a military advisor in Spain's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

In 2003, he was in Pristina, Kosovo, as the director of the Joint Operations Center for the KFOR, a peacekeeping force led by NATO.

Top Leadership Roles

In 2010, Alejandre Martínez became a brigadier general. He was put in charge of the Operations Division for the Army. Two years later, as a division general, he was sent to work at NATO's military headquarters in Europe.

In October 2015, he was promoted to lieutenant general. He took on a top role at a NATO base in Brunssum, Netherlands. At the time, this was the highest position held by a Spanish military officer in NATO.

On March 24, 2017, he was promoted to General of the Army and became the Chief of the Defence Staff, the leader of Spain's entire military. He held this job until January 15, 2020.

After retiring, he joined the Royal and Military Order of Saint Hermenegild and became the Vice President of the Ferrer-Dalmau Foundation.

Awards

General Alejandre Martínez received many awards for his long and important service.

Grand Cross of Military Merit (White Badge).
Grand Cross of the Royal and Military Order of San Hermenegild.
Commander with Star of the Royal and Military Order of Saint Hermenegild.
Commander of the Royal and Military Order of Saint Hermenegild.
Cross of the Royal and Military Order of San Hermenegild.
Cross of Military Merit (White Badge), received seven times.
Medal of Suffering for the Motherland (for being injured in peacetime).
United Nations Medal (for service with the UN in Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina).
Meritorious Service Medal from the United States of America.
NATO Medal for service in the Balkans.
Chief Commander of the Legion of Merit (2018).
Serge Lazareff Prize (2018).
Knight's Cross of the Royal and American Order of Isabella the Catholic.
Order of Civil Guard Merit (White Badge).
Commander of the Legion of Honour (2019).