Spain - The EMU celebrates 20 years at the forefront of emergencies with more than 1,600 troops deployed this summer

The Minister of Defense, Margarita Robles, has expressed her pride in the work of the Military Emergency Unit (UME), highlighting its professionalism, empathy and capacity to respond to catastrophes. In the current fire-fighting campaign, the unit has already been involved in 13 operations, mobilizing more than 1,600 soldiers and 700 resources.

A demanding campaign with simultaneous deployments

Since June 1, the UME has intervened in 13 emergencies, 10 of them forest fires and 3 of other types, such as the floods in Aragon. Currently, 500 troops are fighting active fires in Ávila, Cáceres and Pontevedra, supported by 180 means, many of them recently incorporated.

The new resources include 5 ground drones, 3 aerial drones, 50 light vehicles, 7 ambulances and 2 transport gondolas, reinforcing their capacity to operate in complex environments.

Institutional and social recognition

During her visit to the UME headquarters at the Torrejón Air Base, Robles pointed out that "seeing the UME arrive is synonymous with being in good hands", and stressed that the public perceives the unit as a "total and absolute guarantee" in the face of any disaster. The minister also stressed the importance of coordination with the autonomous communities and of anticipating natural phenomena that are less and less seasonal.

Two decades of exemplary service

On October 7, the UME will celebrate its 20th anniversary as the first and only Spanish military unit specialized in emergencies. Since its foundation, it has carried out nearly 700 interventions in Spain and more than 30 missions abroad.

Comprising some 3,500 military personnel - of which 8% are women - the EMU has a headquarters, five intervention battalions, a transmission battalion, a support regiment and a Military Emergency School.

Source: https://www.defensa.gob.es/gabinete/notasPrensa/2025/08/250801-visita-ume-incendios.html