BGen. Gacio has reached the end of a long and distinguished career after 49 years of dedicated service in the Spanish Navy and Marines, and nearly 3 years serving as the Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations at STRIKFORNATO.
He will be returning to his hometown in San Fernando, Cadiz (Spain) to enjoy more time with his wife, Pepi, and his two children.
BGen. Gacio joined the Navy in 1972 as a sailor, and after some years of service in different ships, he was admitted into the Naval Academy as a Marine in August 1979, and graduated as First Lieutenant in July 1984.
On operations, he commanded Marine Units and sub-units in the NATO Stabilisation Forces (SFOR) in Bosnia-Herzegovina and a Spanish/Moroccan battalion in Haiti as part of the UN Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH).
This is his third tour in a NATO HQ; he was previously ACOS Plans in the Spanish High Readiness Force Maritime Headquarters (SP HRF-M HQ); later he was J2 Current Operations Section Head in the former Joint Command Lisbon HQ (here, in Oeiras) from 2007 to 2010, and finally here, at STRIKFORNATO HQ.
STRIKFORNATO thanks Brigadier General Gacio for his extraordinary contribution to our mission, while serving in a challenging Flag Officer appointment during a time of significant activity in the Maritime and Joint domains, and wishes him “fair winds and following seas”!