His Majesty King Felipe VI presided this Saturday, November 15, 2025, at the retirement or renewal of the flag of his colleagues who took part in the XLV promotion of the General Military Academy (AGM) of Zaragoza, during which General President Prudencio Orce has appealed to the values of “service, dedication and duty”.
King Felipe VI arrived at the training ground of the Military Academy at 12:30 and inspected the training of the 1,200 cadets, ladies and gentlemen, currently studying, as well as 172 classmates of the 45th class, with whom he studied for two months in the military institution’s first course 40 years ago.
After saluting the Spanish flag and singing the national anthem, the members of the General Assembly’s XLV class, led by General Fernando Luis Moron, the first in the class, took the flag oath. The widows and children of 12 deceased members of XLV Promotions also took the oath. Tributes were paid to the war dead and a salute was given.
General Prudencio Orce recalled that on October 11, 1985, then Gentleman Candidate Borbon kissed the flag of “La General”.
They noted that “40 years of service will seem to have passed too quickly for the most veteran, but too far a horizon for the newcomer,” and further added. “Undoubtedly, these are common feelings each time a promotion returns and others reflect on the renewal of their efforts from training with discipline and a certain amount of curiosity.”
“The curiosity of the cadets is to try to imagine how the professional lives of these experienced officers will pass. What ups and downs will they face in those 40 years? What sacrifices will they make throughout their careers? What feelings did they have in their hearts when they put all this into perspective? Was it worth it and can they expect similar feelings as the years go by?
The General Director tells the cadets that “the road that lies before you is not easy, but it is very easy,” alluding to “sacrifice, dedication, countless hours of hard work and training, destinations, missions, great understanding of families who are away from home for long periods of time and face each new challenge, sweat, effort, and many moments that, although seemingly endless, have contributed to the quality and significance of the rigorous preparation.” on. ”
Orce maintained that “the formula is simple: service, dedication and duty!” These are the three values the king imparted to cadets “as the pillars of his performance as king” on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the King’s Proclamation a little more than a year ago. “Three words full of meaning that all of us who had the privilege of serving Spain in uniform under his command fully share.”
“All those who have kissed the flag again will agree that those simple words ‘service, dedication, duty’ sum up their careers well. Moreover, while they will live forever in our memories, they resonate with a touching solemnity as we remember those who are no longer among us,” continued the general meeting director.
General Prudencio Orce said each component of the XLV promotion encouraged the cadets to “find opportunities to serve Spain every day through the multiple and very different tasks that our profession demands of them, proving that their dedication is the same as when they took the oath, and that for a soldier there is no greater reward than the intimate satisfaction of having completed a mission.”
The members of LXV Promotion said: “Though their term of office is three years, the motivation that drives them is no different from yours. Their motto is typical of an illustrious career, but their enthusiasm is the same as when they held a cadet in their arms. Their profession has taken them to several far-flung destinations, but none of them has forgotten that place that unites us all, and this training ground, where we share this land of Zaragoza with you.”
“By sharing days like today with us, we feel even closer to His Majesty’s example and reference, the great path that our predecessors have followed for us, including the XLV promotion, and the spirit of ‘La Generale’ to which we are so grateful, and which, despite the passing of many years, remains the same in each promotion,” Orce said.
“Hard promotion”
General Moron said this was a “tough promotion with adversity”, recalling the terrorist attack on the General Assembly bus on January 30, 1987, which killed two people and injured several others.
After leaving the General Assembly as lieutenants, many were sent to the Balkans, where they suffered casualties in acts of military service that were “our part” because “we are all promotions.”
“It’s a solid, experienced promotion, with strong consistency,” Moron continued, underscoring His Majesty’s “leadership” and expressing his pride and sense of belonging. “No matter what happens, we will remain XLV.”
He told the cadets, ladies and gentlemen, that “General Assembly commemorates their entire lives” and that its imprint is already set in their minds, reminding them that it is the “promise” of the military academy. Moron said the priority must be “building trust,” stressing that leading the force “demands rigor in daily operations, tolerance for error, commitment and command responsibility,” adding that “mutual trust is the glue that makes us invincible.”
“You have chosen the responsibility of service,” praised General Fernando Moron, and in his final address to the King, he emphasized that the LXV promotion, of which he is a member and “well known,” is characterized by “trying to serve discreetly and being generally reliable. This is how we will continue the XLV in all circumstances.”
After the event on the parade ground, the King presided over a parade of 1,200 cadets along the academy’s main promenade, accompanied by a military band, and the event concluded.
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