Major General Juan P. Sánchez de Lara commissioned through the Spanish Air Force Academy in 1985, he became a fighter pilot, flying a total of 3,500 hours in Mirage F1 (Albacete AFB), Northrop F.5 (Moron AFB and AF Fighter Weapons School at Talavera AFB) and Casa 101 (AF Academy). He was posted to SHAPE (Mons) J3 as Air Ops and Targeting Officer (2007–2010). He also has been deployed to operations in Bosnia-Herzegovina (1997–1998) and in Djibouti (2011). As a Colonel he was designated Director of the AF Officers Academy. In December 2017 he was promoted to Brigadier General and designated Spanish AF Air Staff Plans & Policy Division Head. In June 2020 he was promoted to Major General and appointed as Commander in Chief Canary Islands Air Command.