
Major General Alejandro Escámez Fernández, who until now held the position of general of the General Command of Ceuta, took office yesterday as a new Head of the Canary Islands Command, after the Council of Ministers approved his appointment, by Royal Decree, on October 19, at the proposal of the Minister of Defense, Margarita Robles. Escámez thus replaces Lieutenant General Carlos Palacios Zaforteza, who had held this position since 2018 and who on October 5 was appointed Second Chief of Staff of the Army.
The events, which were chaired by the Chief of Staff of the Army, General Amador Enseñat y Berea, began with a formation to render honors in Weyler Square, and ended in the Throne Room of the Palace of Captaincy, where the inauguration and the oath took place by General Escámez, who thanked the trust placed in him and where he praised the work of his predecessor.
The new head of the Canary Islands Command, who will combine this position with his work as Commander of the Land Operational Command, expressed his enthusiasm and commitment to face the responsibilities he assumes “in difficult times for the Islands and, particularly, for La Palma, which, after overcoming the health situation, faces the intransigence of a volcano that transforms its virulence into a human drama, ”he said.
A speech in which he claimed to be and feel “a soldier with spirit, who believes in teamwork as a multiplying factor of individual value and who considers that morale is the greatest enhancer of combat capacity.”