Teodoro Esteban López Calderón

Teodoro Esteban López Calderón (born 3 May 1954) is a Spanish Navy officer who is serving as the 12th and current Chief of the Defence Staff of the Spanish Armed Forces since 27 January 2021. Previously, he served as Admiral Chief of Staff of the Navy from 2017 and 2021.

Biography

López Calderón was born in 1954 in the city of Cartagena and joined the Spanish Navy after graduating at the Escuela Naval Militar in 1973. He is a specialist in electronics, tactics and weapons systems. He also completed various courses locally and abroad, such as the Senior Course at the NATO Defense College, the Navy General Staff Course, Electronics Expert courses, and the Tactical Action Office course.

Throughout his naval career, he held the command of the Villaamil (P-04) patrol vessel, the 2nd Minesweeper Squadron, the frigate Cataluña (F73), the 41st Escort Squadron (Frigates), and the Naval Action Group 2. During the latter, López Calderón took part in Operation Active Endeavor, as the 2nd Group included the Spanish surface ships that were assigned to the mission. He also served on various ships of the Spanish Navy, such as the Descubierta (F31), the Asturias (F74), the Extremadura (F75), and the Numancia (F83).

He also served as the Chief of Staff of the 21st Escort Squadron and as a Staff member of the "Delta" Group, a task group in charge of monitoring the maritime borders of the Basque Country to prevent weapons smuggling and against the clandestine trafficking of terrorist related operations.

He was appointed by the Council of Ministers as the replacement of Admiral General Jaime Muńoz-Delgado on 31 March 2017 as the new Chief of Staff of the Navy. the head of the Navy settled the issue by publicly declaring that "if any Spanish warship is found with a boat in a situation where the lives of those on it are in danger, its [of the Navy] obligation of all kinds, legal and moral, is to rescue them. And that's what they would do."

In January 2021, after the resignation of JEMAD Miguel Ángel Villarroya, he was appointed as the Chief of Staff of the Spanish Armed Forces.

Awards and decorations

40px Officer of the Order of Australia – 3 May 2022 – For distinguished service in strengthening the defence relationship between Australia and Spain through personal commitment, engagement and support to Australia.

Personal life He is married with five children and also has two grandchildren. He can speak fluent English along with his native Spanish.