Miguel Ángel Villarroya

Miguel Ángel Villarroya Vilalta (born 15 May 1957) is a Spanish Air Force general who served as the 11th Chief of the Defence Staff of Spain from 2020 to 2021. Before this, from 2017 to 2020 he was the Chief of the Technical Cabinet of the Defence Ministers María Dolores de Cospedal (2017–2018) and Margarita Robles (2018–2020).

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Villarroya.

Miguel Ángel Villarroya
In 2019
Born (1957-05-15) May 15, 1957
La Galera, Tarragona, Spain
AllegianceKingdom of Spain
Service/branchSpanish Air Force
Years of service1980–present
RankGeneral of the Air
Commands heldChief of the Defence Staff
Chief of the Defence Minister' Technical Cabinet
Chief of the Canary Islands Air Command
Chief of the Torrejón Air Base
Battles/warsLiberation of Kuwait campaign
Spanish Icarus Detachment (air force support to the Balkans)
Rwandan Civil War
AwardsSee Awards.

Biography

Early life and education

Villarroya was born in La Galera, in the province of Tarragona on May 15, 1957. He got his civil pilot license at the age of 17.[1] A year later, he joined the General Air Force Academy in San Javier, where he started his military studies, obtaining its lieutenant rank in 1980, at the 32nd promotion.[2] He has also General Staff studies.

Villarroya has more than 9,800 flying hours mainly with the Lockheed C-130 Hercules.[3]

Military career

After finishing his studies at the Air Force Academy in 1980, he joined the Matacán Schools Group at the Matacán Air Force Base, a group of schools to training air force officials for command as well as other air force skills.[4] In 1981 he was assigned to the 31 Wing, an Air Force transport unit.[4] In the same destination, he is promoted to captain in 1983 and to commander in 1989.[4]

In July 1996, he is assigned to the Operative Aire Force Command HQ and two years later, in November 1998, he is promoted to lieutenant colonel.[4]

From 2000 y 2005 he served as the chief of the Torrejón Air Force Base forces, being promoted to colonel and promoted to chief of the mentioned Air Base, a position he hold from 2005 to 2011.[4] In April 2012, he was appointed Deputy Director of the European Air Group until May 2014, when he was appointed chief of the General Secretariat of the Air Force General Staff.[5]

Villarroya joined the Air Force generalship in January 2011, when he was promoted to brigadier general.[6] Three years later, he was promoted to divisional general.[7] As divisional general, he was appointed as Chief of the Canary Islands Air Command[8] until April 2017, when Defence Minister, María Dolores de Cospedal, appointed him as her Technical Cabinet Director,[2] being promoted at the same time to lieutenant general.[9]

In June 2018, the change of government led Margarita Robles to take leadership of the Ministry of Defense, renewing confidence in Villarroya as Director of the Technical Cabinet.

In January 2020, prime minister Pedro Sánchez appointed Villaroya as Chief of the Defence Staff, as well as promoting him to Air General.[4]

In January 2021, Villaroya tendered his resignation as Chief of the Defence Staff, after information on the COVID-19 vaccination of more than 100 high-ranking officers of the armed forces, including himself, despite not being on the list for preferential access. He was replaced by Admiral General Teodoro Esteban López Calderón on January 27, 2021.[10][11]

Awards

Villarroya awards and badges:[3]

Badges

Personal life

He is married, and he has two children, along with three grandchildren.[12]

References
  1. "Miguel Ángel Villarroya, un aviador catalán en el Estado Mayor". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). January 17, 2020. Retrieved January 18, 2020.
  2. LaInformacion. "COSPEDAL NOMBRA AL TENIENTE GENERAL MIGUEL ÁNGEL VILLARROYA SU NUEVO DIRECTOR DEL GABINETE TÉCNICO". La Información (in Spanish). Retrieved January 18, 2020.
  3. "El Consejo de Ministros aprueba el relevo del JEMAD, Fernando Alejandre - Ministerio de Defensa de España". www.defensa.gob.es. Retrieved January 18, 2020.
  4. "El general del Aire Miguel Ángel Villarroya, nuevo Jemad de las Fuerzas Armadas". abc (in Spanish). January 14, 2020. Retrieved January 18, 2020.
  5. "El teniente general Villarroya Vilalta, nuevo director del Gabinete Técnico - Ministerio de Defensa de España". www.defensa.gob.es. Retrieved January 18, 2020.
  6. "Royal Decree 33/2011, of January 14, which promotes the employment of Brigadier General of the General Corps of the Air Force to Colonel Miguel Angel Villarroya Vilalta". boe.es. Retrieved January 18, 2020.
  7. "Royal Decree 560/2014, of June 27, which promotes the employment of General of the General Corps of the Air Force Division, Brigadier General Miguel Angel Villarroya Vilalta". boe.es. Retrieved January 18, 2020.
  8. "Royal Decree 656/2015, of July 10, appointing Chief of the Canary Islands Air Command to General of the Air Force, Mr. Miguel Ángel Villarroya Vilalta". boe.es. Retrieved January 18, 2020.
  9. "Royal Decree 368/2017, of April 8, which promotes the employment of Lieutenant General of the General Corps of the Army of the Air to the General of Don Miguel Ángel Villarroya Vilalta". boe.es. Retrieved January 18, 2020.
  10. "The CDS Resigns with a "clean conscience" after being vaccinated before time". lavanguardia.es. Retrieved January 23, 2021.
  11. Paul Dallison (January 23, 2021), Spanish military chief quits after skipping vaccine line Politico Europe.
  12. "Miguel Angel Villarroya, Chief of the Defence Staff of Spain". NATO. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
Military offices
Preceded by
Fernando Alejandre Martínez		 Chief of the Defence Staff
15 January 2020 – 27 January 2021		 Succeeded by
Teodoro Esteban López Calderón
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