The Colonel Carlos Herráiz is a transport pilot for the SPANISH AIR & SPACE FORCE and joined the Air Force Academy in 1988, being the current commander of the European Tactical Airlift Center. The ETAC is an advance tactical airlift-training project that started in 2012 out of the EDA – EUROPEAN DEFENSE AGENCY and EATC – EUROPEAN AIR TRANSPORT COMMAND initiative that is now a consolidated program for the 14 European members that signed the TECHNICAL AGREEMENT. The center is located in Zaragoza Air Base and now runs projects with an itinerant scheme in Bulgaria, Portugal, Germany, Italy, France and of course, Spain, but it is open to any offering country that may voluntarily host the courses.

Throughout his career, and after these 38 years of Service, he has been posted in several Transport wings units and in the AIR FORCE ACADEMY. He has also served in HEADQUARTERS for the Spanish Air and Space Force and in the Spanish Joint Operations Command as J4 Chief (OPERATIONAL LOGISTICS).

He has taken part in several operations like the BALCANS war, where in 1994; he was part of the crew of a small cargo airlift hit by two SAM7 missiles during a flight in the border of CROATIA-SERBIA. As he likes to call it, it was a miracle to survive that event. Then he participated in some African operations in MALI, GABON, IRAK and Afghanistan.

As a Spanish Joint Operations command staff officer he played the logistics role in several operations like the NEOs in Sudan and Afghanistan, and also for the Spanish deployments of the Air & Space Force, Army and Navy, like the deployment of the multinational Battle Group led by Spain in Slovakia, Air Policing missions, and African operations, as well as NATO exercises.

Throughout his career, he has received several awards, including several Aeronautical and Naval crosses, NATO Medals, Silver Medal for French National Defense, and the U.S. Joint Service Achievement Medal.

He is happily married with Maria and has four excellent teenagers bellow to take care off.