Office of the Comptroller General of the Defence facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Office of the Comptroller General of the Defence

Emblem of the Spanish Military Audit Corps
Ministry of Defence main headquarters
Agency overview
Formed	November 2, 1977; 47 years ago (1977-11-02)
Preceding agencies	Army' Comptroller General Office Navy' Comptroller General Office Air Force' Comptroller General Office
Headquarters	Paseo de la Castellana 109 Madrid
Agency executive	José Luis Gómez Corral, Comptroller General of the Defence

The Office of the Comptroller General of the Defence (also known as the Intervención General de la Defensa in Spanish) is a special part of the Ministry of Defence in Spain. Its main job is to check how the Ministry and its related organizations spend money and manage their finances. It also acts like a military notary, helping with legal documents, and gives advice to the Ministry's leaders on money matters.

This office is part of the Undersecretariat of Defence, but it also reports to the main financial watchdog of the Spanish government, the Comptroller General of the State. The people who work here are part of the Military Audit Corps. The head of the office is called the Comptroller General of the Defence. They make sure everyone works together and follows the same rules. As of July 15, 2020, the current Comptroller General is divisional general José Luis Gómez Corral.

History of Defence Auditing

For a long time, the different parts of the Armed Forces had their own ways of managing money. This meant the Army, Navy, and Air Force each had their own separate ministries and financial checks.

In 1977, a big change happened. The three separate military ministries were combined into one single Ministry of Defence. With this change, it made sense to have one office to check all the finances for the entire Ministry. This process was fully completed in 1985 when the three separate military audit groups also joined together.

How the Office is Organized

The Office of the Comptroller General of the Defence (IGD) has two main parts: a central part and a decentralized part. Think of it like a main office and several smaller offices spread out.

Central Services

The central part of the IGD includes these important divisions:

• The Division for Intervention, Supervision and Economic-Fiscal Legal Analysis. This division helps coordinate the smaller audit teams in the Ministry's main departments and public agencies. It has two specific areas: one for checking finances and another for looking at economic and tax laws.
• The Division for Financial Control and Audits. This division also helps coordinate the audit teams, but it focuses on financial control. It is also in charge of the audit teams that report directly to the Comptroller General of the Defence. It has areas for conducting audits and for ongoing financial checks.
• The Defence Comptrolling General Unit. This unit studies and processes financial documents for the Ministry of Defence. It works closely with the main Office of the Comptroller General of the State for internal checks.

Decentralized Services

The decentralized part of the Office means there are audit teams in many different locations:

• Audit teams in the Ministry's various departments and agencies, including the Defence Staff.
• Main audit teams for the Army, Navy, and Air Force.
• Smaller, local audit teams, which include:
  • The Territorial Offices of the Comptroller General.
  • Audit teams in specific military units, centers, and agencies. These might be part of the Territorial Offices.
  • Audit teams that are sent out with the Armed Forces during active operations.

The Comptroller General of the Defence

The person in charge of the Office is the Comptroller General of the Defence. This role is held by a divisional general from the Military Audit Corps. This position is very important, and the Comptroller General has a high rank. They are responsible for overseeing the Military Audit Corps, including matters like personnel, salaries, and traditions. The Comptroller General has a rank similar to a director-general in the government.

Secretariat of the Comptroller General

The Comptroller General has a special team called the secretariat that helps them directly. This team is responsible for:

• Managing all the documents and reports that come into the office.
• Making sure the computer systems for the office work well.
• Handling tasks related to the military notary.

List of Comptrollers General

Here is a list of the people who have held the position of Comptroller General of the Defence:

• Gonzalo Prego Meirás (1977–1980)
• Alfredo Boya Saura (1980–1981)
• Alfredo Blasco González (1981–1982)
• Carlos Ibáñez Muñoz (1982–1984)
• Rafael Hitos Amaro (February–November 1984)
• José Arribas de Pablo (1984–1987)
• Luis Ignacio Sagardia Menéndez (1987–1989)
• José Elizondo Martínez (1989–1992)
• Antonio Yelo Molina (1992–1996)
• Armando Bescós Aznar (1996–1998)
• Antonio López Cediel (1998–1999)
• Eduardo Esteban Ureta (1999–2001)
• Juan Miguel Teijeiro de la Rosa (2001–2004)
• Ricardo Martínez Grande (2004–2005)
• Antonio Zúñiga Pérez del Molino (2005–2010)
• Luis Lloret Gadea (2010–2013)
• Ángel Méndez García (2013–2014)
• Manuel Leria Mosquera (2014–2017)
• Carlos Calavia Pascual (2017–2020)
• José Luis Gómez Corral (2020–present)

See also

In Spanish: Intervención General de la Defensa para niños