Jose Enrique Delgado joined the Spanish Navy in 1983 and after his first junior officer appointments aboard Fleet units, took command of the patrol boat ESPS "Formentor" in 1990, conducting fishery protection duties off the Spanish Mediterranean coast.
He specialised in Antisubmarine Warfare (ASW), returning to the Fleet as ASW officer, and later on as Tactical Action Officer/Ops Officer, on board the frigate ESPS "Reina Sofía", for nearly five years. His afloat deployments included a threetime participation in the Standing NATO Maritime Forces and in Operation SHARP GUARD.
He then joined the CEVACO (Spanish Fleet Sea Training and Qualification Centre) as the ASW Officer, before assuming command of the minesweeper ESPS "Genil", good old mine warfare ship. On relinquising command, he completed the Joint Staff Course in Madrid and his first tour at the Navy General Staff, N3.
In 2002 he served at the High Readines Force (HRF) Headquarters UKMARFOR, joining the MARBATSTAFF for two and a half years in Portsmouth, UK, completing Initial Operational Capability (IOC) and Final Operational Capability (FOC) in the early busy stages of UKMARFOR as a NATO HRF(M) HQ.
After a short period in the Fleet HQ, he assumed command of the mine hunter ESPS "Segura", in Cartagena, Spain, and, after command, joined the Standing NATO Maritime Group 1 (SNMG1) as the Staff Operations Officer (SOO) on board three different US flagships. The SNMG1 deployment in 2007 included Caribbean Presence Ops, NATO Response Force (NRF) certification, Operation ACTIVE ENDEAVOUR and the circumnavigation of Africa, with Presence Ops in the Gulf of Guinea and the Horn of Africa.
On completion of the SNMG1 deployment he took his second tour at the Operations Division of the Navy General Staff, followed by a NATO staff officer appointment at HQ MC NAPLES, including participation in Operation UNIFIED PROTECTOR and seeing the HQ deactivation as part the NATO reform.
Delgado took command of the Aegis frigate ESPS "Álvaro de Bazán" and in 2013 deployed to the Indian Ocean in Operation OCEAN SHIELD as flagship to COM SNMG2.
After command, he joined the Plans & Policy Division at the Navy Staff, assuming responsibility, within the Capability Branch, for the future frigate F110 and the Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) capability development.
Rear Admiral Delgado assumed command of the SNMG1 during Spain's command rotation in 2016. He deployed to the North Atlantic and Baltic Sea, and was tasked in three operational tasking missions. After command, he was appointed Chief Strategic Plans, at the Navy General Staff, and later on to the Defence Joint Staff, in Madrid, as Secretary General.
From August 2019 he served at Allied Maritime Command (MARCOM) as DCOS Support and from August 2022 he was appointed Chief of Staff MARCOM.