Esmeralda Ruiz, the first female senior non-commissioned officer, the highest rank in that hierarchy.

Esmeralda Ruiz Alonso has become the first female member of the Spanish Army's 'Ejército de Tierra' to achieve the rank of suboficial mayor, the highest position within the non-commissioned officer scale. Her promotion follows a military career spanning more than thirty years of service.

As noted in the reports, Ruiz Alonso's career has been extensively connected to special operations throughout her three decades in the armed forces. Her recent promotion marks a historic milestone for gender integration and progression within the highest ranks of the Spanish military's non-commissioned officer structure.