Admiral Head of Logistic Support

Admiral Ignacio Frutos Ruiz was born in 1960 in Madrid. He joined the Naval Academy in 1980 and graduated as Lieutenant Junior Grade in 1985. In 1988 he was promoted to Lieutenant.

As Lieutenant he was part of the first crew of the frigate ‘Santa María’, Executive Officer of patrol boat ‘Lazaga’ and Chief of Operations of destroyer ‘Méndez Núñez’ and frigate ‘Asturias’. He was also Chief of Staff of the Minesweepers Squadron and CO of minesweeper ‘Odiel’.

In 1997, as Lieutenant Commander, he was assigned to the Ministry of Defense’s General Directorate of Defense Policy and to NATO’s Headquarters (Brussels) as Deputy-Advisor on Defense at Spain’s Permanent Delegation in that organization. In 2004 he was promoted to Captain and appointed Chief of NATO’s Standing Naval Force Atlantic (STANAVFORLANT). He took part in Operation ‘Active Endeavour’ and served on board a number of flagships: Dutch frigates ‘Jacob Van Heemskerk’ and ‘Witte de With’, German frigate ‘Bayern’, as well as the US Navy’s amphibious assault ship ‘Saipan’. In 2008 he commanded the frigate ‘Canarias’ integrated into SNMG-2 taking part in Operation ‘Active Endeavour’, NATO’s Article 5, and in EUNAVFOR participating in Operation ‘Atalanta’.

In 2011 he was commissioned as Chief of the Naval Staff of the European Naval Force deployed in the Indian Ocean (EUNAVFOR) for Operation ‘Atalanta’, on board the Portuguese frigate ‘Vasco de Gama’.

In 2012, he was appointed Chief of Operations at the Spanish Naval Staff. From 2013 to 2015 he was the Commander of the Maritime Action Units in Ferrol. Later, he was assigned to the Spanish Navy Staff’s Planning Division, as Chief of the Organic Plans Section in the Spanish Naval Staff.

On March 9th 2018 he was promoted to Rear Admiral and appointed Chief of the Operations Division of the Spanish Naval Staff, and subsequently Secretary General of the Spanish Navy Staff until his promotion to Vice Admiral on July 6th 2021 when he was appointed Chief of the Ferrol Military Arsenal.

On October 1st 2024 he was promoted to Admiral and appointed Head of the Logistic Support of the Spanish Navy.

He is a graduate in Naval Warfare and a specialist in Communications and a Tactical Officer. He has the US course “Maritime Component Commander” (2018) and High Studies of National Defense (CESEDEN).

He has been awarded the following decorations: Grand Cross of Naval Merit, Grand Cross, Badge, Commendation and Cross of the Royal Order of ‘San Hermenegildo’, 5 Naval Merit Crosses, 3 NATO Medals, 2 EU Medals, 1 UEO Medal, Silver Medal of the Guardia Civil and Commendation of Civil Merit.

Admiral Frutos is married and has four children.