Félix Sanz Roldán Facts for Kids

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal family name is Sanz and the second or maternal family name is Roldán.

Quick facts for kids Félix Sanz Roldán


Director of the National Intelligence Centre
In office July 6, 2009 – July 6, 2019
Monarch	Juan Carlos I (2009–2014) Felipe VI (2014–2019)
Prime Minister	José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero (2009–2011) Mariano Rajoy (2011–2018) Pedro Sánchez (2018–2019)
Deputy	Elena Sánchez Blanco (2009–2012) Beatriz Méndez de Vigo (2012–2017) Paz Esteban López (2017–2019)
Preceded by	Alberto Saiz
Succeeded by	Paz Esteban López
Chief of the Defence Staff
In office June 26, 2004 – July 19, 2008
Monarch	Juan Carlos I
Prime Minister	José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero
Preceded by	Antonio Moreno Barberá
Succeeded by	José Julio Rodríguez Fernández

Personal details
Born	(1945-01-20) January 20, 1945 (age 80) Uclés, Castilla-La Mancha, Spain
Military service
Allegiance	Spain
Branch/service	Spanish Army
Years of service	1962–2019
Rank	General of the Army

Félix Sanz Roldán (born January 20, 1945) is a retired Spanish Army general. He also worked as an intelligence officer. From July 2009 to July 2019, he was the Director of the National Intelligence Centre (CNI). Before that, he served as the Chief of the Defence Staff (JEMAD) for the Spanish Armed Forces. This was during the first government of Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, from 2004 to 2008.

Sanz Roldán joined the Armed Forces in 1962. He started his military journey at the General Military Academy. As an officer, he worked at the Spanish Embassy in Washington D.C. as a deputy military attaché. He also held several leadership roles within the Spanish Army. In the Ministry of Defence, he was a deputy director-general for plans and international relations. He also served as director-general for defence policy. He retired from active service in 2019, after 57 years.

Félix Sanz Roldán: A Life of Service
Director of the National Intelligence Centre
- Challenges During His Leadership
Life After the CNI
Awards and Recognitions
- Awards
- Honors
See also

Félix Sanz Roldán: A Life of Service

Early Life and Education

Félix Sanz Roldán was born in Uclés, Cuenca, Spain, on January 20, 1945. In 2009, he received an honorary doctorate, known as Doctor Honoris Causa, from the University Alfonso X the Wise in Madrid.

Military Career Highlights

Sanz Roldán began his military training at the General Military Academy in 1962. He became a lieutenant in 1966. As a lieutenant, he served in places like El-Aaiún, Spanish Sahara, and later in Astorga, Leon, and San Roque, Cádiz.

After becoming a captain, he worked at the Artillery Regiment Nº1 in Madrid. He also completed studies to join the General Staff. He held positions in the Armored Brigade XII in El Goloso, Madrid. He also worked with the Spanish-American Combined Joint Staff.

When he was promoted to commandant (or major), he served as a deputy military attaché at the Spanish Embassy in Washington, D.C.. Later, he worked in the Army's General Staff. As a lieutenant colonel, he commanded an Artillery Group in El Goloso, Madrid.

In July 1997, as a colonel, he led the International Treaties Section of the Army's General Staff. He also managed relations with NATO and the WEU within the Ministry of Defence. He was promoted to brigadier general in 1998. In this role, he became the Deputy Director-General for Plans and International Relations in the Ministry of Defence. In 2001, he became a major general.

Leading the Defence Staff

In 2004, Sanz Roldán was promoted to lieutenant general. He was appointed Director-General for Defence Policy. In the same year, he became the Chief of the Defence Staff (JEMAD). He also received the rank of General of the Army. He held this important position until 2008. After leaving the JEMAD role, he served as the High Representative for the Spanish Presidency of the EU. This role reported directly to the President of the Government.

Director of the National Intelligence Centre

On July 2, 2009, the previous Director of the CNI, Alberto Saiz, resigned. This happened after some challenges with his leadership. On July 9, Félix Sanz Roldán was appointed as the new Director of the National Intelligence Center.

CNI Director, Sanz Roldán (left), along with other government officials in a National Security Council meeting in January 2019.

Sanz Roldán focused his first years on improving the agency's internal environment. The intelligence provided by the CNI helped police forces in Spain and France. This work contributed to weakening a terrorist group. It also led to the arrests of important figures. In October 2011, the terrorist group announced a "definitive cessation" of its activities.

In 2012, Mariano Rajoy became Prime Minister. He decided that Sanz Roldán should continue leading the CNI. Sanz Roldán was reappointed for a second term as director of the CNI in 2014.

Challenges During His Leadership

In late 2014, a young man named Francisco Nicolás Gómez Iglesias was arrested. He had been pretending to be an important person with government contacts. The CNI filed charges against him for "insults and slander." However, he was found not guilty in May 2018.

Towards the end of 2017, the CNI faced criticism. This was because they could not find the ballot boxes for the 2017 independence referendum. This referendum was declared illegal by the Spanish Government. Sanz Roldán defended the CNI's work. He stated that the intelligence provided was useful to the government.

In early 2019, a police commissioner named José Manuel Villarejo made accusations against Sanz Roldán. These accusations were denied by Sanz Roldán and the CNI.

In July 2019, Sanz Roldán's second five-year term as Director of the CNI ended. At that time, the Spanish government was a temporary government. This meant they could not appoint a new director. Because of this, Paz Esteban López, who was the Secretary-General of the CNI, took over as interim director. She became the first woman to hold this position.

Sanz Roldán received the Grand Cross of the Military Merit for his service.

Life After the CNI

After leaving the CNI, Sanz Roldán was appointed Chairman of the Social Council of the University of Castilla–La Mancha. This happened in November 2019.