Last modified: 2025-09-27 by olivier touzeau
Keywords: rank | minister | anchor (blue) | star: 5 points (blue) |
Links: FOTW homepage |
search |
disclaimer and copyright |
write us |
mirrors
See also:
Car flags and pennants are rarely seen nowadays – particularly military rank flags – in order to avoid identification and surveillance by terrorists.
Santiago Dotor, 24 Sep 1998
![[Prime Minister and Other High Authorities (Spain)]](../images/e/es_pm.gif)
1:1
image by Zoltán Horváth, 9 October 2024
According to Calvo and Grávalos 1983, the flag is the same for the Prime Minister (Spanish official title being Presidente del Gobierno) and for other Ministers.
Santiago Dotor, 24 Sep 1998
According to the 1977 Decree on flags and Album des Pavillons, this flag is used by:
Santiago Dotor, 24 Sep 1998
Album des Pavillons 2000 says this flag is used also image by Chargés d'Affaires. It does not show the swallowtailed version.
Željko Heimer, 06 Aug 2001
![[Non-existent Minister of Defence rank flag (Spain)]](../images/e/es~mnavy.gif)
1:1 
image by Željko Heimer & Olivier Touzeau, 24 September 2025
Flag adopted 21st January 1977 for the Minister of the Navy
José Carlos Alegría mentioned that Album des Pavillons 1990 shows a rank flag with "crossed anchors for the Minister of Defence". That is the flag adopted in 1977 for the Minister of the Navy. As far as I know, it was never used, because of the merger of the Ministries of the Army, Navy and Air Force into the current Ministry of Defence shortly thereafter. A similar flag but with smaller anchors – not touching the red stripes – was in use 1923-1931 and 1938-1977.
I wonder whether the editor of Album des Pavillons 1990 assumed that the Minister of Defence inherited this flag or whether he has official information that the flag is currently in use. Actually the 1977 Flag Decree also adopted flags for the Ministers of the Army and of the Air Force. I understand the Minister of Defence might choose the flag of the former Minister of the Navy to represent him when on board a navy vessel, but the question is not clear at all.
Santiago Dotor, 20 Nov 2000
I agree with Santiago Dotor, I have information from the Spanish Attaché in Paris that the Minister of Navy's crossed anchors flag is not in use. It therefore does not appear anymore in Album des Pavillons 2000.
Armand Noel du Payrat, editor of Album des Pavillons 2000, 20 Nov 2000
Shown in Album des Pavillons 1990, p. 95 and Znamierowski 1999, p. 68.
Željko Heimer, 06 Aug 2001
![[Chief of Defence Staff (Spain)]](../images/e/es^cds.gif)
1:1
image by Zoltán Horváth, 9 October 2024
The Chief of the Defence Staff (Jefe del Estado Mayor de la Defensa) is the highest-ranking military officer in the Spanish Armed Forces and is the principal military advisor to the Prime Minister, the Minister of Defence, the National Defence Council and the National Security Council. It is the fourth military authority of the country after the Monarch, the Prime Minister and the Minister of Defence.
Zoltán Horváth, 9 October 2024
In a letter dated January 2000, Cdte. Manzano of the Spanish Navy tells me of a flag project for the General Jefe del Estado Mayor de la Defensa: tricolour 1:1 with blue defence coat-of-arms in upper red stripe, four blue 4-pointed stars in middle yellow stripe, blue 5-pointed star in lower red stripe.
Armand Noel du Payrat, 4 December 2002
Chief of Defence Staff: former flag, 1977
![[Chief of Defence Staff (Spain)]](../images/e/es^cds1.gif)
1:1
image by Željko Heimer, 6 August 2001
Square national triband with Armed Forces emblem in the middle (composed of the Army eagle with St. James cross, the Air Force wings and the Naval anchor) and a segmented blue-black fivepointed star in the middle of the lower red stripe. Source: Album des Pavillons 2000. This must be a rather new flag, not mentioned in any previous sources.
Željko Heimer, 6 August 2001
The flag appears already in the 1977 Decree (Jefe del Alto Estado Mayor). I have never (except on Album des Pavillons 2000) seen the star as faceted, but as simply plain blue. On the other hand, I believe the 1982 reorganisation of the armed forces general staff replaced the position of Jefe del Alto Estado Mayor with that of the Presidente de la Junta de Jefes de Estado Mayor or President of the Joint Chiefs-of-Staff, whose flag is like that of his predecessor but without the star (illustrated in Calvo and Grávalos 1983, p. 226, ill. 654).
Santiago Dotor, 4 September 2001
The star appears faceted in Nueva Biblioteca de Legislación, published in Banderas, 1978, page 37.
Armand Noel du Payrat, 4 December 2002
![[Chief of Defence Staff (Spain)]](../images/e/es^acg.gif)
1:1
image by Zoltán Horváth, 9 October 2024
The Captain General (Capitán General) has been the highest rank in the Spanish Army (Ejército de Tierra) since the 18th century. It’s a five-star rank, the current holder is the King of Spain.
Zoltán Horváth, 9 October 2024
![[Chief of Defence Staff (Spain)]](../images/e/es^afcg.gif)
1:1
image by Zoltán Horváth, 9 October 2024
The Captain General of the Air Force (Capitán General del Aire or Capitán General del Ejército del Aire) is a five-star air force officer rank and the highest rank of the Spanish Air Force, the current holder is the King of Spain.
Zoltán Horváth, 9 October 2024
![[Chief of Defence Staff (Spain)]](../images/e/es^mvg.gif)
1:1
image by Zoltán Horváth, 9 October 2024
The Military Archbishopric of Spain (Arzobispado Castrense de España) is a military ordinariate of the Roman Catholic Church. Immediately subject to the Holy See, it provides pastoral care to Roman Catholics serving in the Spanish Armed Forces and their families. The first military vicariate-general was appointed in 1705, but the position lapsed in abeyance in 1930. Twenty years later, a military vicariate was re-established on 5 August 1950.
Zoltán Horváth, 9 October 2024
![[Chief of Defence Staff (Spain)]](../images/e/es^gen.gif)
1:1
image by Zoltán Horváth, 9 October 2024
The flag may be used – on official vehicles – at official events within its jurisdiction (for general ranks only).
Zoltán Horváth, 9 October 2024