| Defence High Command | |
|---|---|
| Alto Estado Mayor | |
 Building of the AEM, on La Castellana | |
| Active | 1939–1980 |
| Country | Spain |
| Branch | Armed forces |
| Type | Military staff |
| Part of | Spanish Armed Forces |
| Headquarters | Madrid |
| Commanders | |
| First Chief | Brigadier General Juan Vigón Suerodíaz |
| Last Chief | Lieutenant General Ignacio Alfaro Arregui |
| Insignia | |
| Abbreviation | AEM |
| Emblem (until 1975) | .svg) |
| Emblem (1975–1980) | .svg) |
The Defence High Command (Spanish: Alto Estado Mayor, AEM) was the principal staff body of the Spanish Armed Forces during the Francoist regime and the transition to democracy. It operated between 1939 and 1980, and was in charge of coordination between the staffs of the three branches of the Armed Forces (Army, Navy and the Air Force).[1][2]
- ^ (in Spanish) Jornadas de estudio sobre el título preliminar de la Constitución, IV Volumen, pág. 2914
- ^ JAYME BIOBDI, Diego (2010). "El Alto Estado Mayor" (PDF). Los Ejércitos del Franquismo (1939-1975) (in Spanish). Instituto Universitario General Gutiérrez Mellado - UNED: 55–62. ISBN 978-84-608-1110-7. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016.