The Spanish government has launched its national summer campaign to combat wildfires, bringing forward the activation of state resources in response to increasingly severe fire seasons. The Interior Ministry’s State Coordination and Direction Committee for the National Forest Fire Plan has agreed that the 2025 campaign will start on June 1, earlier than the traditional June 15 date, to reinforce prevention and early response capacity.
The campaign integrates assets from the Interior, Defense and Ecological Transition ministries. According to the Ministry of Defense, the Military Emergency Unit (UME) has begun its annual Forest Firefighting Campaign, which will remain active until September 30. The UME deploys five emergency intervention battalions across Spain, supported by around 3,000 personnel and 40 new intervention vehicles.
Aerial support is provided by helicopter units of the Army and the Air and Space Force’s 43rd Group, which operate water-bombing aircraft in coordination with regional authorities and civil protection services. The early launch, decided in the context of prolonged drought and high temperatures observed in recent years, is aimed at improving initial attack capability and limiting the spread of large forest fires during the peak summer period.