MASTER CHIEF PETTY OFFICER OF THE SPANISH NAVY

Javier Álvarez Ochoa was born in Zaragoza on July 1st 1965 and joined the Spanish Navy on October 30th 1982.

From 1983 to 1990 he took the three Specialty Courses on ‘Signals’ at the Navy’s Transmissions and Electricity School in Vigo. He was promoted to Sargent on July 16th 1990.

His assignments include the destroyer ‘Marqués de la Ensenada’, frigate ‘Santa María’, destroyer ‘Lángara’, landing craft ‘Martín Álvarez’ and the Staffs of the Maritime Areas of the Strait and the Feet. He attended the Air Transit Controller course at the Air Force Control School in Matacán (Salamanca) and was awarded the Specialty in Air Transit Control with a certificate in Airfield Control and Ground Controlled Approach (GCA).

From 1996 to 2011 he was assigned to the Control Tower of Rota Naval Base as Air Transit Controller and GCA radar operator. He was also instructor and teacher at the Spanish Navy School of Air Crews lecturing on aeronautical subjects. He was assigned to that post for eight years in three different periods of time.

Master Chief Petty Officer Álvarez was posted as Staff Chief Communications Yeoman (SCCY) in STANAVFORLANT’s embarked Staff under direct command of SACLANT (Norfolk, USA), and SCCY and Network Administrator in SNMG-2’s embarked Staff under command of JFCNP (Naples, Italy).

From 2006 to 2010 he was assigned to the Defense Attaché’s Office of the Spanish Embassy to the Hellenic Republic. From 2011 to 2014 he was posted to Oeiras (Lisbon), first at the Operational Preparation Directorate (OPD) –an organization responsible for the assessment of NATO’s Staffs– and subsequently at the Staff of STRIKFORNATO working as Logistics Senior Enlisted.

From 2014 to 2020 he was assigned to the Center of Naval Operations of the Fleet’s Headquarters in Rota (SW Spain). In January 2018 he took the ‘Command Senior Enlisted Leader’ Course (CSEL) at NATO’s School in Oberammergau (Germany).

Master Chief Petty Officer Álvarez has been awarded the following decorations: Badge, Commendation and Cross of the Royal and Military Order of ‘San Hermenegildo’, two Naval Merit Crosses, the NATO Medal (Article 5 – ‘Active Endeavor’) and the ‘Balmis Operation’ Medal, in addition to the Defense Staff Badge.

In October 2020 he was promoted to Master Chief Petty Officer and assigned to the Subsidiary Body of the Personnel Head Office in the Navy’s Headquarters in Madrid. In January 2022 he was posted to the Personnel Support Head Office in Ferrol (NW Spain).

On October 30th 2023 he was appointed Master Chief Petty Officer of the Spanish Navy in the Private Office of the Chief of Staff of the Spanish Navy (AJEMA).

Master Chief Petty Officer Javier Álvarez has a daughter.