Brigadier General Carlos Castrillo was born in Madrid, Spain, on June 29, 1965 and joined the Academia General Militar (Zaragoza) in 1985, graduating as an Artillery First Lieutenant in 1990.
During his time as First Lieutenant and Captain, he held various assignments as Platoon and Battery Commander in Field and Anti-Aircraft Missile Artillery Units. After graduating in Radar and Electronic Warfare at the Artillery School in Segovia,
he taught these subjects at the same school while serving as Secretary and Spanish Delegate to the NATO Army Armaments Group Indirect Fire Working Group (ICGIF).
As a Major, he attended the Army Operations Course and the Armed Forces General Staff Course from 2002 to 2003. In 2004, he participated in Operation SFOR (Bosnia Hercegovina), leading a multinational planning team and coordinating the handover from NATO to the EU-led mission in Bosnia. For this service, he was awarded by NATO Secretary General with the “NATO Meritorious Service Medal”. Returning to Spain, he was assigned in 2006 to the Ministry of Defense Directorate of Defense Policy, attached to the NATO Affairs Section. From 2007 to 2010, he served as counsellor and advisor to the Spanish Permanent Representative at NATO HQ, also acting as Spanish delegate to the Operations Policy Committee. In this capacity, he played an active role in drafting the “Comprehensive Strategic Political-Military Plan for Afghanistan” (2008), facilitating coordination between NATO’s military and political levels.
Promoted to Lieutenant Colonel in 2010, he was appointed Chief of Staff of the Artillery School, serving as principal advisor to the Commanding General and coordinating the overall management of resources.
From May to November 2014 he participated in Operation EUTM Mali as part of the ATF (Assistance Task Force), tasked with advising the Malian Armed Forces and Ministry of Defense on training and exercises.
From 2015 to 2017, he served at the Spanish Army General Staff Headquarters, Operations Division, where he was responsible for bilateral exercises within the Training Branch and managed the overall exercise budget for the Spanish Army. During this assignment, he also attended the NATO Defence College (NDC) Senior Course 127 (August 2015 – February 2016), where he volunteered as a member of the bilingual (ENG–FRA) syndicate and had the opportunity to work closely with non-NATO countries such as Mauritania, Algeria, and Switzerland.
In 2017, he was promoted to Colonel (OF-5) and took command of the 94th Anti-Aircraft Regiment, based in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. After completing this command tour, he deployed to Baghdad (Iraq) in 2020, where he served as Chief of Staff of NATO Mission Iraq and as Senior Officer of the Spanish forces stationed in Iraq and Kuwait. In addition to the usual responsibilities of a Chief of Staff and national contingent commander, he directed and coordinated the reconstitution of the HQ after aspects of the mission were suspended due to a deterioration of the security situation at the start of 2020.
Promoted to General Officer in 2022, he became Secretary General of the Spanish Training and Doctrine Command (MADOC), responsible for the entire training and education system of the Spanish Army as well as the development of future force capabilities.
General Castrillo is married to Natalia, and has one son, Carlos, aged 24. His main hobbies are skiing, walking and reading.
