Chief of Staff of the Spanish Navy
Admiral Antonio Martorell Lacave.
Admiral Antonio Martorell Lacave was born in Bilbao on August 22nd 1960. He joined Marín’s Naval Academy in 1979, graduating in 1984.
Throughout his career, he has served on board different frigates, corvettes, minesweepers and minehunters as Executive Officer, Chief of Operations and Chief of Combat System, among other commissions.
These have been his Command assignments: Commander of Minesweeper "Miño", first Commander of Minehunter "Turia", Commander of 1st MCM Squadron, Commander of NATO’s Standing Countermine Measures Group no. 2 and Commander of Amphibious Assault Ship "Castilla".
In Afloat Staffs, he was Executive Officer of the 2nd Minesweeper Squadron and Executive Officer of the 21st Escort Squadron.
Some of his shore assignments were: lecturer in the department of organization of the Armed Forces Higher School, Chief of the Torpedoes Workshop at Cartagena Shipyard, three times commissioned in the Spanish Navy’s Staff, and Chief of the European Union Area of the Directorate General for Defense Policy, reporting to the Ministry of Defense.
Abroad, he was assigned for three years to NATO’s Joint General Headquarters in Naples, (Exercises Division).
He obtained his Military Staff Diploma and he is specialist in ASW. He has completed several courses including Advanced Tactics Officer and Communications. Abroad, he completed the CSDP High Level Course at the European School of Security and Defense, the NATO’s Senior Officer Police Course, and the Bi-SC Command and Control Course.
On July 29th 2014 he was promoted to Rear Admiral and was appointed as the Head of the Logistics Division of the Navy Staff. On April 20th 2015, he was appointed as Commanding Officer of the Naval Action Group-2.
On June 6th 2017, he assumed Command of SPMARFOR and on June 23rd 2017 he was promoted to Vice Admiral and on May 19th 2020 to Admiral.
He has been awarded with the Grand Cross, Plaque, Commendation and Cross of San Hermenegildo, Grand Cross of Naval Merit, four Naval Merit Crosses, the Military Merit Cross with White Badge, the Kuwait Liberation Medal, the Brazilian Naval Medal, the "Active Endeavour" Operation Medal, and a Peace Operations Badge.
He is married and has three children.