# Chief of Staff of the Navy (Spain)

The Chief of Staff of the Navy or Admiral Chief of Staff of the Navy (AJEMA) is the highest-ranking military officer of the Spanish Navy that, under the authority of the Defence Minister, exercises command over the naval branch 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, the Under-Secretary of Defence and the National Defence Council.
The JEMA has two main roles: the support role by which advice the Minister of Defence about the naval military policy, the JEMAD about how to use the personnel and their operative status, the SEDEF about the economic, armamentistic and infraestructure policies and the SUBDEF 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 Navy.
The AJEMA calls the meetings and coordinates the efforts of the Naval Staff (EMA), the main auxiliary body of the AJEMA, which assists him in the exercise of its competences and in the responsibilities assigned to it over the organization of the Navy, preparation of the troops and administration of the assigned resources. The EMA has a whole body of military officers at its service, and among the main officers include the Second Admiral Chief of Staff of the Navy, the Admiral of the Fleet (ALFLOT), the Admiral of Naval Action (ALNAV), the Admiral of Maritime Action (ALMART), the General Commander of the Marines (COMGEIM), the Commander of the Naval Air Fleet (COMFLOAN) and the General Commander of the Submarines Fleet (COMSUBMAR).
After the death of Admiral General Antonio Martorell Lacave on 31 March 2023, Admiral Carlos Martínez-Merello y Díaz de Miranda, second admiral chief of staff of the navy assumes the office ad interim.

## History

The position of AJEMA was created on 13 July 1895 at the same time as the Naval Staff, which replaced the position of Under Secretary of the Navy. The office was reserved for officers with a minimum position of Rear admiral (Contraalmirante).
By Royal decree of 30 March 1899, the Undersecretary of the Navy was re-created and assumed the competences of the Military Secretariat and the Naval Staff, passing its owner to be called Under secretary of the Navy and Chief of the Central Naval Staff. The AJEMA position finally disappeared in 1900.
In December 1902, the Central Staff of the Navy (EMCA) was created, whose top official was once again a Chief under the name Chief of the Central Naval Staff. It was abolished again in August 1903. By the Law of 7 January 1908, which reforms the Institutes, agencies and services of the Navy, the EMCA was once again created. The AJEMA was granted the chair of the Board that informed the Minister of the Navy of naval matters, except if he did not possess the rank of Vice Admiral, which was then chaired by the Vice Admiral Chief of the Central Jurisdiction of the Navy and the AJEMA acted as a member. This law was developed by the Regulation of 17 January, which limited this position to officers of the rank of Vice Admiral or Rear Admiral.
On 20 October 1927, the EMCA is replaced by the Directorate-General of Campaign and Services of the Naval Staff (DGCSEM) in front of which there was a Vice Admiral with the title of Director-General of the same body. On 15 October 1930, the DGCSEM is suppressed, the Naval Staff (EMA) is created again and with it, Chief of Staff of the navy (on which the Naval War College directly depended), although it will not be until December 1930 that the name of the Director-General passes to that of AJEMA.
During the Civil War, each side of the conflict established its own Naval Staff. While the rebellious side maintained the Naval Staff, the Republican side had mainly the Marine Staff, although briefly the Central Staff of the Naval Forces of the Republic was created afterwards.
After the end of the civil war, the Francoism divided again the ministries destined to the defense in three, one for each army branch and maintained the Naval Staff that is maintained until today with the Chief or Admiral Chief of Staff of the Navy in front.

## List

| No. | Rank | Name | Appointed | Dismissed |
| 1º | Rear admiral | Zoilo Sánchez de Ocaña y Vieitiz | 14 July 1895 | 19 March 1896 |
| 2º | Rear admiral | Fernando Martínez de Espinosa y Echeverri | 19 March 1896 | 22 October 1896 |
| 3º | Rear admiral | Segismundo Bermejo y Merelo | 22 October 1896 | 1 April 1897 |
| 4º | Rear admiral | Ismael Warleta Ordovás | 20 August 1897 | †9 August 1898 |
| 5º | Rear admiral | Manuel Mozo y Díaz Robles | 30 March 1899 | 25 October 1899 |
| 6º | Rear admiral | Antonio Terry y Rivas | 25 October 1899 | 20 April 1900 |
| 7º | Ship-of-the-line captain | Antonio Moreno de Guerra y Cróquer | 20 April 1900 | 7 November 1900 |
| 8º | Rear admiral | José María Pilón y Sterling | 20 April 1900 | 7 November 1900 |
| 9º | Vice admiral | Pascual Cervera y Topete | 28 December 1902 | 19 August 1903 |
| 10º | Rear Admiral | Federico Estrán y Justo | 17 January 1908 | 10 June 1909 |
| 11º | Rear Admiral | José de la Puente y Bassave | 10 June 1909 | 19 April 1910 |
| 12º | Vice Admiral | Joaquín María de Cincúnegui y Marco | 19 April 1910 | 27 September 1912 |
| 13º | Vice Admiral | Francisco Chacón y Pery | 27 September 1912 | 4 July 1913 |
| 14º | Admiral | Antonio Perea y Orive | 5 July 1913 | 5 September 1914 |
| 15º | Vice Admiral | Orestes García de Paadín y García | 5 September 1914 | 19 January 1915 |
| 16º | Admiral | José Pidal Rebollo | 19 January 1915 | 23 March 1918 |
| 17º | Admiral | Adriano Sánchez Lobatón | 24 March 1918 | 21 November 1919 |
| 18º | Admiral | José María Chacón y Pery | 21 November 1919 | 13 May 1920 |
| 19º | Admiral | Gabriel Antón Iboleón | 13 May 1920 | † 2 February 1924 |
| 20º | Admiral | Ignacio Pintado Gough | 8 February 1924 | 10 June 1924 |
| 21º | Admiral | Juan Carranza y Garrido | 10 June 1924 | 4 May 1927 |
| 22º | Admiral | José Rivera Álvarez de Canero | 4 May 1927 | 28 November 1927 |
| 23º | Vice Admiral | José Núñez y Quijano | 28 October 1930 | 22 December 1930 |
| 24º | Vice Admiral | Juan Cervera Valderrama | 28 November 1927 | 21 August 1931 |
| 25º | Vice Admiral | Francisco Javier de Salas González | 25 September 1931 | 19 July 1936 |
| Beginning of the Spanish Civil War |||||
| Vacant from 19 July–2 September 1936 |||||
| Disputed | Corvette captain | Miguel Buiza Fernández-Palacios | 2 September 1936 | 27 October 1937 |
| Disputed | Corvette captain | Luis González de Ubieta | 27 October 1937 | 8 January 1939 |
| Disputed | Ship-of-the-line captain | Miguel Buiza Fernández-Palacios (2nd term) | 8 January 1939 | 5 March 1939 |
| Disputed | Admiral | Juan Cervera Valderrama (2nd term) | 28 October 1936 | 1 April 1939 |
| End of the Civil War |||||
| 26º | Admiral | Juan Cervera Valderrama | 1 April 1939 | 16 August 1939 |
| Functions assumed by the Ministry of the Navy from 16 August 1939 to 23 September 1942 |||||
| 27º | Admiral | Alfonso Arriaga Adam | 23 September 1942 | 26 March 1951 |
| 28º | Admiral | Rafael Estrada Arnaiz | 26 March 1951 | 17 October 1952 |
| 29º | Admiral | Juan Pastor Tomasety | 24 October 1952 | 26 July 1956 |
| 30º | Admiral | Felipe José de Abárzuza y Oliva | 21 August 1956 | 25 February 1957 |
| 31º | Admiral | Santiago Antón Rozas | 4 May 1957 | 17 January 1963 |
| 32º | Admiral | Jerónimo Bustamante de la Rocha | 17 January 1963 | 10 August 1963 |
| 33º | Admiral | Fernando Meléndez Bojaro | 10 August 1963 | 25 February 1966 |
| 34º | Admiral | Rafael Fernández de Bobadilla y Ragel | 26 February 1966 | 6 May 1967 |
| 35º | Admiral | Adolfo Baturone Colombo | 6 May 1967 | 29 October 1969 |
| 36º | Admiral | Enrique Barbudo Duarte | 7 November 1969 | 7 July 1972 |
| 37º | Admiral | Gabriel Pita da Veiga y Sanz | 7 July 1972 | 22 June 1973 |
| 38º | Admiral | José Ramón González López | 22 June 1973 | 27 September 1975 |
| 39º | Admiral (*) | Carlos Buhigas García | 27 September 1975 | 19 November 1977 |
| 40º | Admiral (*) | Luis Arévalo Pelluz | 23 November 1977 | 15 January 1982 |
| 41º | Admiral (**) | Saturnino Suanzes de la Hidalga | 15 January 1982 | 11 January 1984 |
| 42º | Admiral (*) | Guillermo Salas Cardenal | 11 January 1984 | 31 October 1986 |
| 43º | Admiral (**) | Fernando María Nárdiz Vial | 31 October 1986 | 18 May 1990 |
| 44º | Admiral (**) | Carlos Vila Miranda | 18 May 1990 | 14 February 1994 |
| 45º | Admiral (**) | Juan José Romero Caramelo | 14 February 1994 | 27 June 1997 |
| 46º | Admiral (***) | Antonio Moreno Barberá | 27 June 1997 | 15 December 2000 |
| 47º | Admiral General | Francisco José Torrente Sánchez | 16 December 2000 | 30 April 2004 |
| 48º | Admiral General | Sebastián Zaragoza Soto | 30 April 2004 | 18 July 2008 |
| 49º | Admiral General | Manuel Rebollo García | 18 July 2008 | 27 July 2012 |
| 50º | Admiral General | Jaime Muñoz-Delgado y Díaz del Río | 27 July 2012 | 1 April 2017 |
| 51º | Admiral General | Teodoro Esteban López Calderón | 1 April 2017 | 27 January 2021 |
| - | Admiral | Fausto Escrigas Rodríguez (acting) | 27 January 2021 | 10 February 2021 |
| 52º | Admiral General | Antonio Martorell Lacave | 10 February 2021 | 31 March 2023 |
| - | Admiral | Carlos Martínez-Merello y Díaz de Miranda (acting) | 31 March 2023 | 26 April 2023 |
| 53º | Admiral General | Antonio Piñeiro | 25 April 2023 | Incumbent |
(*) Promoted posthumously to Admiral General in 1999. (**) Promoted to Admiral General ad honorem in 1999. (***) Promoted to Admiral General while in office.