The Chief of Staff of the Air and Space Force (JEMAE) is a four-star general that under the authority of the defence minister exercises command over the Spanish Air and Space Force, and as such is the principal military advisor to the Chief of the Defence Staff, the Minister of Defence, the Secretary of State for Defence and the Under Secretary of Defence. It's also a member of the Council of Chiefs of Staff and a military advisor to the National Defence Council.

The JEMAE has two main roles: the support role by which advice the Minister of Defence about the Air and Space Force military policy, the JEMAD about how to use the personnel and their operative status, the SEDEF about the economic, armamentistic and infrastructure policies and the Under Secretary about the personnel and teaching policy; and the operative role by which prepare the force for combat, instructs the military personnel, establishes the organization of its military branch and watches over the welfare of the personnel under his command and evaluates the needs of the Air and Space Force.

The Chief of the Air and Space Force convenes the meetings and coordinates the efforts of the Air Staff (EMA), the main support body of the JEMAE, responsible for providing the necessary elements of judgment to base its decisions, translate these into orders and ensure their fulfillment. The EMA has a whole body of military officers at its service, and among the main officers are include the Second Chief of Staff of the Air and Space Force (SEJEMAE), the Permanent Secretary of the Superior Council of the Air and Space Force, the Chief General of the Secretariat General of the Air and Space Staff (SEGE), the Chief General of Technical Services and Information Systems and Telecommunications and its Chef de Cabinet.

The position is currently held by General of the Air Francisco Braco Carbó since 23 July 2024.

History The position of Chief of Staff was created on 29 July 1936, when the then-chairman of the National Defence Board, general Miguel Cabanellas, appointed Alfredo Kindelán as Chief of the Air Services. Later, by decree no. 52 of 18 August 1936, which reorganized the National Air Forces in the Nationalist side, ratified the position as the highest in the air services, and an Air Staff was established to assist him.

With the creation of the Ministry of the Air and the Air Force in 1939, the chief of staff remained as head of the air branch. According to the Air Force Act of that year, the Head of State was the commander-in-chief of the Air Force, and he delegated it to the air minister, who in turn delegated it to the chief of staff. The intention behind this ministry was to give the air branch (which had been so important in winning the Civil War) the same level as the Army or the Navy.

The Air Staff was made up of the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, the Second Chief of Staff of the Air Force, a private secretariat for the JEMA and a general one for the Air and Space Staff, and 5 sections: Organization, instruction and mobilization; Information; Operations; Services and Cartography.

At that time, the JEMA exercised its powers over all the aerial resources of the Armed Forces, both those of the Air Force and the aerial means of the Army and the Navy, but always coordinating with the other Chiefs of Staff, although in practice the commanders of the air forces of the Army and of the Navy were of those respective branches, reason why the influence of the JEMA was null. The JEMA was part, together with the Under Secretary of Air and other ministerial officials, of the Administrative Technical Board, permanent advisory body of the Armed Forces Command on the election of prototypes of aircraft and engines, contracts, infrastructure programs, acquisitions, etc., and of the High Command (AEM) (that acted as a simple coordinating body).

The JEMA depended on the Ministry of the Air until the disappearance of this in 1977. Since then, the JEMA has depended on the Ministry of Defence.

List of officeholders No. Rank Name Appointed Dismissed 1º Brigadier general The Marquess of Kindelán 29 July 1936 12 August 1939 2º Colonel Luis Moreno Abella 12 August 1939Historia del Ejército del Aire, Cronología (1939) . Ejército del Aire (España). 27 April 1940Decreto de 20 July 1945 por el que se nombra Ministro del Aire a don Eduardo González Gallarza. Boletín Oficial del Estado núm. 202, de 21/07/1945, página 520.Historia de la Aviación Española . Ejército del Aire (España), p.251. 3º Brigadier general Eduardo González-Gallarza Iragorri 27 April 1940Historia del Ejército del Aire, Cronología (1940) . Ejército del Aire (España). 20 July 1945González-Gallarza Iragorri, Eduardo . Ejército del Aire. 4º Brigadier general Francisco Fernández-Longoria González 26 July 1945Decreto por el que se nombra Jefe de Estado Mayor del Aire, del Arma de Aviación, al General de Brigada don Eduardo González Gallarza. Boletín Oficial del Estado núm. 142, de 14/06/1958, página 5542. 6 June 1958Decreto 6 June 1958 por el que se nombra Jefe de la Región Aérea Atlántica al Teniente General del Ejército del Aire don Francisco Fernández-Longoria González. Boletín Oficial del Estado núm. 277, de 04/10/1941, páginas 7651 a 7652.Fernánedez-Longoria González, Francisco . Ejército del Aire. 5º Lieutenant general Eugenio de Frutos Dieste 6 June 1958Decreto por el que se dispone el del Teniente General del Ejército del Aire don Eugenio de Frutos Dieste para el cargo de Jefe de Estado Mayor del Aire. Boletín Oficial del Estado núm. 142, de 14/06/1958, página 5542. 21 September 1960Decreto 1779/1960, de 21 de septiembre por el que se dispone que el Teniente General del Ejército del Aire don Eugenio de Frutos Dieste pase al grupo «B». Boletín Oficial del Estado. 6º Lieutenant general Enrique Palacios y Ruiz de Almodóvar 21 September 1960Decreto 1777/1960, de 21 de septiembre por el que se nombra Jefe del Estado Mayor del Aire al Teniente General del Ejército del Aire don Enrique Palacios y Ruiz de Almodóvar. Boletín Oficial del Estado. 5 September 1962Decreto 2171/1962, de 5 de septiembre, por el que se dispone que el Teniente General del Ejército del Aire don Enrique Palacios y Ruiz de Almodóvar pase al Grupo «B». Boletín Oficial del Estado. 7º Lieutenant general Manuel Martínez Merino 20 September 1962Decreto 2320/1962, de 20 de septiembre, por el que se promueve al empleo de Teniente General del Ejército del Aire al General de División don Manuel Martínez Merino, nombrándole Jefe del Estado Mayor del Aire. Boletín Oficial del Estado. 31 May 1965Decreto 1527/1965, de 31 de mayo, por el que se dispone que el Teniente General del Ejército del Aire don Manuel Martínez Merino pase al grupo «B». Boletín Oficial del Estado. 8º Lieutenant general Luis Navarro Garnica 31 May 1965Decreto 1524/1965, de 31 de mayo, por el que se promueve al empleo de Teniente General del Ejército del Aire al General de División de dicho Ejército don Luis Navarro Garnica. Boletín Oficial del Estado.Orden de 24 June 1965 por la que se nombra Vocal nato del Patronato del Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial «Esteban Terradas» al Teniente General del Ejército del Aire, Jefe del Estado Mayor del Aire, don Luis Navarro Garnica. Boletín Oficial del Estado. 21 March 1970Decreto 771/1970, de 21 de marzo, por el que se dispone que el Teniente General del Ejército del Aire don Luis Navarro Garnica pase al Grupo B. Boletín Oficial del Estado. 9º Lieutenant general Enrique Jiménez Benamú 31 March 1970Decreto 775/1970, de 31 de marzo, por el que se nombra Jefe del Estado Mayor del Aire al Teniente General del Ejército del Aire don Enrique Jiménez Benamú. Boletín Oficial del Estado. 6 April 1972Decreto 798/1972, de 6 de abril, por el que se dispone que el Teniente General del Ejército del Aire don Enrique Jiménez Benamú pase al grupo «B». Boletín Oficial del Estado. 10º Lieutenant general Mariano Cuadra Medina 7 April 1972Decreto 806/1972, de 7 de abril, por el que se nombra Jefe del Estado Mayor del Aire al Teniente General del Ejército del Aire don Mariano Cuadra Medina. Boletín Oficial del Estado. 11 January 1974Decreto 58/1974, de 11 de enero, por el que cesa como Jefe del Estado Mayor del Aire el Teniente General del Ejército del Aire don Mariano Cuadra Medina. Boletín Oficial del Estado. 11º Lieutenant general Ramiro Pascual Sanz 11 January 1974Decreto 59/1974, de 11 de enero, por el que se nombra Jefe del Estado Mayor del Aire al Teniente General del Ejército del Aire don Ramiro Pascual Sanz. Boletín Oficial del Estado. 5 March 1976Decreto 447/1976, de 5 de marzo, por el que se dispone que el Teniente General del Ejército del Aire don Ramiro Pascual Sanz pase al Grupo «B». Boletín Oficial del Estado. 12º Lieutenant general (*) Felipe Galarza Sánchez 23 March 1976Decreto por el que se nombra Jefe del Estado Mayor del Aire al Teniente General del Ejército del Aire don Felipe Galarza Sánchez. Boletín Oficial del Estado. 12 September 1978DOrden por la que se nombra Vocal nato del Patronato del Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial «Esteban Terradas» al Teniente General del Ejército del Aire don Felipe Galarza Sánchez, Jefe del Estado Mayor del Aire. Boletín Oficial del Estado. 13º Lieutenant general (**) Ignacio Alfaro Arregui 23 July 1977 12 September 1978 14º Lieutenant general (**) Emiliano Alfaro Arregui 30 September 1978 15 January 1982 15º Lieutenant general (**) Emilio García-Conde Ceñal 15 January 1982 11 January 1984 16º Lieutenant general (**) José Santos Peralba Giráldez 11 January 1984 31 October 1986 17º Lieutenant general (**) Federico Michavila Pallarés 31 October 1986 23 May 1990 18º Lieutenant general (**) Ramón Fernández Sequeiros 23 May 1990 14 February 1994 19º Lieutenant general (***) Ignacio Manuel Quintana Arévalo 14 February 1994 10 January 1997 20º General of the Air Juan Antonio Lombo López 10 January 1997 20 April 2001 21º General of the Air Eduardo González-Gallarza Morales 20 April 2001 26 June 2004 22º General of the Air Francisco José García de la Vega 26 June 2004 18 July 2008 23º General of the Air José Jiménez Ruiz 18 July 2008 27 July 2012 24º General of the Air Francisco Javier García Arnáiz 28 July 2012 31 March 2017 25º General of the Air Javier Salto Martínez-AvialReal Decreto 352/2017, de 31 de marzo, por el que se nombra Jefe de Estado Mayor del Ejército del Aire al Teniente General del Cuerpo General del Ejército del Aire don Javier Salto Martínez-Avial. Boletín Oficial del Estado (01/04/17). Consultado 1 de abril de 2017. 31 March 2017 23 July 2024 26º General of the Air Francisco Braco Carbó 23 July 2024 Incumbent

(*) Promoted posthumously to General of the Air in 1999. (**) Promoted to General of the Air ad honorem in 1999. (***) Promoted to General of the Air while in office.

See also Chief of the Defence Staff Ministers of Defence Captain general of the Air Force Spanish Air and Space Force Chief of Staff of the Navy Chief of Staff of the Army

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