Vice Admiral Ignacio Villanueva is a 1987 graduate of the Spanish Naval Academy.
In 1989 he earned his US Navy wings, becoming a Naval Aviator. He then flew the AV-8V PLUS on board the Spanish carrier ‘PRINCIPE DE ASTURIAS.’ During that period, he was also appointed as an exchange pilot with the Spanish Air force, flying the EF-18 A+ and taking part in the B-H conflict, where he flew several combat missions deployed from Aviano AB, Italy.
He has commanded the gun patrol boat ‘P-11 BARCELO’, the high seas patrol boat ‘P-63 ARNOMENDI’, the LST ‘L-42 PIZARRO’, the Fleet Air Arm ‘FLOAN’ and the Airfield of the Rota Naval Base. He was the Director of the Fleet Naval Aviation School and the CO of the 9th HARRIER Squadron. Ashore, he has served in a variety of assignments, most notably as a staff officer in the International Relations Department at the Navy HQ, as ACOS N3 in the SPMARFOR High Readiness Maritime HQ, and as Head of the Operations department at the Spanish Fleet HQ. Abroad he was stationed in Mons, Belgium, serving at SHAPE J5 as the ACO capability requirements and force planning officer; and in Pristina, Kosovo, working as UN peace observer and liaison officer between KFOR HQ and UNMIK HQ.
Additionally, he has attended several national and NATO courses including the NATO perational Planning, NATO Staff Officer Defense Planning and NATO expeditionary operations courses. He graduated with distinction from the US Naval War College, Newport, Rhode Island, after having completed the Naval Staff and the Naval Command Courses in years 2001 and 2018 respectively. He also obtained a Master of Arts in National Security and Strategic Studies from the same US Naval War College. His academic background is completed with a job as a professor at the High Defense Studies Center in Madrid, Spain.
He was promoted to Rear Admiral on the 5th December 2019. As Flag Officer he has been appointed as 2nd Commander of the Spanish High Readiness Maritime HQ and DCOM SPMARFOR. He was appointed as Force Commander of the EU NAVFOR Somalia Op Atalanta on board the frigates NUMANCIA and SANTA MARIA. On 26 February 2021 he was appointed as COS Spanish Fleet HQ, being promoted to Vice Admiral on 3 November.
He has several national Navy medals, one UN medal, one UE medal, one NATO medal and one SPAF medal, and numerous awards and citations.
He is married to Matilde and has four children.
Rear Admiral Ostilio de Majo was born in Salerno in 1966. He attended the Naval Academy from 1986 to 1990 and obtained a Naval Artillery qualification. He served on-board Amphibious ship San Giorgio, Frigate Espero and Destroyer Audace as officer in charge of the weapons systems. Subsequently he held the position of Chief Artillery Department of Frigate Artigliere and then Chief of the Operations Department of Frigate Granatiere. From 1998 to 1999, he commanded the Patrol Ship Vega based in Sicily. From 2001 to 2004, he was assigned to Aircraft Carrier Garibaldi, and served as Aide de Camp and Public Information Officer to the Commander in Chief of the Italian Fleet and Commander of the European Maritime Force (CINCNAV – EUROMARFOR). After completing the 106th Course at the NATO Defense College, he was promoted to Commander and served as Military Assistant to the Supreme Allied Commander in Europe (SACEUR) and Commander of US EUCOM at the NATO Headquarters in Belgium (SHAPE) from 2005 to 2008. Upon returning to Italy, he assumed command of the Frigate Euro, based in Taranto, and subsequently transferred to the Navy General Staff, in Rome, where he served as a manpower specialist at Navy Personnel Command (Officers Department), first as Head of Office, then as Deputy Head of Department.
At the end of his duty ashore, he was promoted to Captain and assigned back on board in Taranto, from 2013 to 2014 when he commanded the Destroyer Luigi Durand de la Penne, conducting - among other activities - a training cruise in favour of the Cadets of the Naval Academy.
At the end of the command, until the end of 2016, he held the position of Chief of the External Relations Office of the Naval General Staff, and attended the 67th Course at the Institute of Advanced Studies for Defense (IASD). Subsequently, having returned to the Navy Personnel Command, he held the position of Head of the General Coordination Office and Assistant to the Personnel Director, before taking on the role of Head of the Petty Officers, Graduate, and Navy Troops Department (2017).
From 2019 to 2026, he has been the Military Assistant for the Navy and Aide-de-Camp to the President of the Italian Republic.
Since September 2026 he assumed the duty of Deputy Commander of EUNAVFOR ATALANTA OPERATION.
He has several Navy and NATO medals and one US medal.
Married to Mrs. Cristina, he has two adult children.
Commodore José João Rodrigues Pedra graduated from the Portuguese Naval Academy in 1994.
At sea, he has served in a variety of assignments, as executive officer of the frigate "D. Francisco de Almeida", as Gunnery Officer and Principal Warfare Officer of the frigate "Álvares Cabral" and "Comandante Sacadura Cabral", and as head of the navigation service of the "D. Carlos I" and "Baptista Andrade". As executive officer, he participated in Operation "Active Endeavour", during which his ship served as flagship.
During his time commanding the frigate “Bartolomeu Dias”, he took part in various activities, including the Portuguese Sea Training in the United Kingdom and Operation “Brilliant Shield”.
While ashore, he undertook various roles, most notably as a staff officer in the Naval Staff Policy and Plans Division. In this role, he was responsible for the NATO Defence Planning Process, the EU Capability Development Plan, and the Portuguese Defence Planning Cycle. He also served as head of the planning section for fleet training activities at Fleet Command, as a duty officer at the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre in Lisbon, and as a professor at the High Studies Military Institute, where he lectured on the Senior Officers' Career, Staff College, and Flag Officers' courses. In October 2023, he was appointed to the Naval Staff, to lead the External Affairs Division.
He also served as a temporary advisor to the war colleges in Angola.
Additionally, he has also attended several national and NATO courses, including Defence against Terrorism, Nuclear Policy and the Risks of Proliferation, Naval Operations Planning Advanced and Commanding Officers. He is a Gunnery Officer and Principal Warfare Officer and holds a Master of Science in Strategy and a Postgraduate Diploma in Peace and War Studies. He graduated from the Naval War Course in 2006, the Joint Staff Course in 2009 and the Flag Officer's Course in 2026.
He was designated Force Commander of the 54th rotation of Operation EUNAVFOR ATALANTA, serving in that role since October 2026.
He has received several national medals, including the Distinguished Service Medal and the Naval Cross. He has also received numerous commendations from the Portuguese Chiefs of Naval Staff and Defence.