Plus Ultra Brigade
Encyclopedia
The Plus Ultra Brigade, or Brigada Hispanoamericana, was a military contingent of mixed personnel from Spain
(some 1,300 troops), the Dominican Republic
, El Salvador
, Honduras
, and Nicaragua
(about 1,200 troops between the four), which was commissioned to support coalition troops in the Iraq War. The deployment started in July 2003. The brigade's name was a reference to Plus Ultra
, the national motto of Spain
http://www.ejercito.mde.es/mexterior/irak/plusultra_i.htm
The battalions of the four Hispanic-American countries were equipped and transported by the U.S. military, and received some specific training in Germany
prior to their arrival to the Gulf.
The Spaniards were based in Al-Qādisiyyah, and the Hispanic-Americans in Najaf
, in South-central Iraq, near Dīwānīyah. Their objective was to relieve U.S. Marines in the area so they could be transferred to other, more problematic, regions in the country.
During their tenure in the region, the Plus Ultra Brigade's troops had few hostile clashes with insurgents. Some of their camps were harassed with RPG and grenade
attacks, but there were few casualties. There was only one serious incident, a skirmish in early April 2004 involving radical Shiites in Najaf, which left 1 dead Salvadoran soldier and at least 19 dead Iraqis http://www.elmundo.es/papel/2004/04/05/mundo/1617753.html. The Rules of Engagement
that the units followed were very restrictive and the authorization to use deadly force
needed high command clearance, due to a directive seeking to "avoid or minimize at all costs collateral damage
to people or property" http://www.elpais.es/articulo/elpporint/20060124elpepinac_14/Tes/espana/tropas/espanolas/Irak/tenian/orden/evitar/minimizar/danos/colaterales .
The Plus Ultra Brigade finally dissolved in April 2004, when the recently-elected new Spanish socialist government and the governments of Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic, and Honduras decided to withdraw their troops (a decision that somewhat tensed U.S.-Spanish relations). The lack of public support for the deployment and the war in Iraq was cited as the main reason, with Nicaragua additionally stating its financial constraints.
The Salvadoran military had (200) troops in Iraq as of December 2008: a reduction of almost half from its original deployment of 380 soldiers.
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
(some 1,300 troops), the Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
, El Salvador
El Salvador
El Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...
, Honduras
Honduras
Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...
, and Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
(about 1,200 troops between the four), which was commissioned to support coalition troops in the Iraq War. The deployment started in July 2003. The brigade's name was a reference to Plus Ultra
Plus Ultra (motto)
Plus ultra is the national motto of Spain adopted from the personal motto of Charles I of Spain. Earl Rosenthal, author of The Palace of Charles V in Granada , has researched the origin of the motto...
, the national motto of Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
http://www.ejercito.mde.es/mexterior/irak/plusultra_i.htm
The battalions of the four Hispanic-American countries were equipped and transported by the U.S. military, and received some specific training in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
prior to their arrival to the Gulf.
The Spaniards were based in Al-Qādisiyyah, and the Hispanic-Americans in Najaf
Najaf
Najaf is a city in Iraq about 160 km south of Baghdad. Its estimated population in 2008 is 560,000 people. It is the capital of Najaf Governorate...
, in South-central Iraq, near Dīwānīyah. Their objective was to relieve U.S. Marines in the area so they could be transferred to other, more problematic, regions in the country.
During their tenure in the region, the Plus Ultra Brigade's troops had few hostile clashes with insurgents. Some of their camps were harassed with RPG and grenade
Grenade
A grenade is a small explosive device that is projected a safe distance away by its user. Soldiers called grenadiers specialize in the use of grenades. The term hand grenade refers any grenade designed to be hand thrown. Grenade Launchers are firearms designed to fire explosive projectile grenades...
attacks, but there were few casualties. There was only one serious incident, a skirmish in early April 2004 involving radical Shiites in Najaf, which left 1 dead Salvadoran soldier and at least 19 dead Iraqis http://www.elmundo.es/papel/2004/04/05/mundo/1617753.html. The Rules of Engagement
Rules of engagement
Rules of Engagement refers to those responses that are permitted in the employment of military personnel during operations or in the course of their duties. These rules of engagement are determined by the legal framework within which these duties are being carried out...
that the units followed were very restrictive and the authorization to use deadly force
Deadly force
Deadly force, as defined by the United States Armed Forces, is the force which a person uses, causing—or that a person knows, or should know, would create a substantial risk of causing—death or serious bodily harm...
needed high command clearance, due to a directive seeking to "avoid or minimize at all costs collateral damage
Collateral damage
Collateral damage is damage to people or property that is unintended or incidental to the intended outcome. The phrase is prevalently used as an euphemism for civilian casualties of a military action.-Etymology:...
to people or property" http://www.elpais.es/articulo/elpporint/20060124elpepinac_14/Tes/espana/tropas/espanolas/Irak/tenian/orden/evitar/minimizar/danos/colaterales .
The Plus Ultra Brigade finally dissolved in April 2004, when the recently-elected new Spanish socialist government and the governments of Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic, and Honduras decided to withdraw their troops (a decision that somewhat tensed U.S.-Spanish relations). The lack of public support for the deployment and the war in Iraq was cited as the main reason, with Nicaragua additionally stating its financial constraints.
The Salvadoran military had (200) troops in Iraq as of December 2008: a reduction of almost half from its original deployment of 380 soldiers.