The Institute of Military History and Culture and its Relationship with the Military History Museum of Menorca

Mahón, April 29, 2026

The Institute of Military History and Culture, reporting directly to the Chief of Staff of the Army, is a Directorate-level body organically integrated into Army Headquarters.

It manages the Army’s Archival Subsystem as part of the Defense Archival System and the Army’s Library Subnetwork as part of the Defense Library Network.

The Institute reports functionally to the Directorate General for Heritage of the Ministry of Defense.

The Institute of Military History and Culture is the body responsible for the protection, conservation, research, and dissemination of the Army’s historical, cultural, movable, documentary, and bibliographic military heritage. To this end, it will carry out the following tasks:

– Advise the General Staff of the Army (GEJEME) on the general activities and tasks of the Cultural Action System, drafting technical reports and proposals as requested or on its own initiative.

– Implement the functional programs established in the corresponding General Plan.

– Guarantee the conservation and safekeeping of the assets of the Military Historical Heritage.

– Collaborate in the conservation and safekeeping of the Army’s real estate.

– Coordinate the preparation and updating of guides, registers, censuses, inventories, catalogs, and indexes of the Army’s Historical Heritage holdings, as well as their digitization.

– Promote the enrichment of the Army’s Historical Heritage.

– Protect these assets against looting.

– Disseminate knowledge of the assets comprising the Army’s Historical Heritage.

– To protect and guarantee access for all citizens to the assets comprising the Military Historical Heritage, without prejudice to any restrictions that may be established for the conservation of the assets in custody or the function of the institution itself.

– To facilitate and promote the study, by researchers, of the assets that constitute the Army’s Historical Heritage.

– To carry out, with respect to these assets, the exchange of cultural, technical, or scientific information with other civil or military, public or private organizations.

– To inspect the operation of the implementing bodies and services related to the Army’s Historical Heritage, in order to study their situation and condition.

– To ensure compliance with the applicable Regulations and Standards in the Archives, Libraries, and Museums of the Army.

– To manage the deposit in Military Archives, Libraries, and Museums of assets owned by private individuals or other Public Administrations, in accordance with the established regulations.

– Obtain the required Ministerial Order for the temporary removal of items held in its Archives, Libraries, Military Museums, and all other establishments where collections of Military Historical Heritage are preserved.

– Review requests for access to documents excluded from public consultation and process them in accordance with the current Military Archives Regulations.

– Safeguard the records of the UCOs (Commissioned Operational Units) that have been dissolved and keep the records of existing UCOs up to date.

– Manage the allocated budgetary resources.

– Represent the Army in the specific bodies or commissions related to matters within its competence, as expressly entrusted to it.

– Issue and coordinate the instructions and technical standards for specific procedures related to matters under its responsibility, carrying out inspections or technical reviews of all SIACU (Integrated System of Military Archives and Records) bodies.

– To archive, inventory, draft, and publish historical documents and topics related to the military institution and the armed forces profession.

– To support and promote individual works on military thought throughout history, institutions, military events, prominent military figures, past customs and traditions, etc.

– To disseminate the historical and military culture of our Army, both within and outside its ranks.

– To propose insignia and names for units.

– To foster relationships with public bodies and civilian and military associations related to history in general and military history in particular, as well as with specialized academic departments in the field.

– To promote the continuing education of personnel in the Archives, Libraries, and Museums of the Spanish Army.

– Any other duties entrusted to it by law or regulation.