Miguel Ángel Villarroya


Miguel Ángel Villarroya Vilalta is a Spanish Air Force general who is the current Chief of the Defence Staff.
Before this, from 2017 to 2020 he was the Chief of the Technical Cabinet of the Defence Ministers María Dolores de Cospedal and Margarita Robles.

Biography

Early life and education

Villarroya was born in La Galera, in the province of Tarragona. in May 15, 1957. He got his civil pilot license at the age of 17. 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. He has also General Staff studies.
Villarroya has more than 9,800 flying hours mainly with the Lockheed C-130 Hercules.

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. In 1981 he was assigned to the 31 Wing, an Air Force transport unit. In the same destination, he is promoted to captain in 1983 and to commander in 1989.
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.
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. 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 Aire Force General Staff.
Villarroya joined the Air Force generalship in January 2011, when he was promoted to brigadier general. Three years later, he was promoted to divisional general. As divisional general, he was appointed as Chief of the Canary Islands Air Command until April 2017, when Defence Minister, María Dolores de Cospedal, appointed him as her Technical Cabinet Director, being promoted at the same time to lieutenant general.
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 him as Chief of the Defence Staff, as well as promoting him to Air General.

Awards

Villarroya awards and badges:
Badges