Toledo (EFE).- Colonel Álvaro Díaz Fernández, who since Thursday is the new director of the Infantry Academy of Toledo, has challenged himself in this new stage of implementation of digital transformation in the military education.
Colonel Díaz Fernández (Asturias, 1970) took office in a military act chaired by the Director of Education, Instruction, Training and Evaluation of the Army, Major General Fernando Barrón key
During a press conference, the new director explained that one of the challenges he faces is to implement “at the highest possible level” the digital transformation in the field of education, which is the one of the aspects promoted by the training command and the doctrine of the army.
He was “deeply proud” of his appointment to the Infantry Academy but also said it is a “very great” responsibility because “training is fundamental, and more so that of those who are sworn to defend the society to its ultimate consequences”. .””.
Likewise, he considered it an “additional difficulty” to relieve Colonel Antonio Armada of his post, but he argued that he would put his professional experience – his previous assignment was a professor in the courses of advanced military studies at the Center Higher National Studies Defense Studies – to ensure that the Academy continues to fulfill its mission of training future infantry sergeants and lieutenants.
Relations between the armed forces and society
Colonel Álvaro Díaz Fernández stressed the importance of society being aware of the work and role of the Armed Forces so that it “values to its full extent the effort they make every day to protect the society they have sworn to serve”.
He said that for “a long time” the armies lived “a bit with their backs to society”, which “fortunately” has “changed a lot” in the last fifteen years, with “milestones” such as the creation of the Unit Military Emergencies (UME), in which the colonel has worked for six years and which has made a “connection” with “total and absolute” citizens.
In addition, the pandemic or natural disasters like the Filomena storm have shown that the army and the armed forces “are there to serve the citizen in times of need”.
“I think it’s been good for people to know us. You can’t want what you don’t know,” the Colonel said.
The new director of the Infantry Academy of Toledo has the Plaque of the Order of San Hermenegildo, several crosses for military merit and one for merit of the Civil Guard, among other decorations, and has participated in four international missions (three in the former Yugoslavia and one in the Central African Republic).
The The Toledo Infantry Academy provides training to nearly 500 students on average each yearsome of which will be added in November and others in January.