Captain Rafael Delgado Carpenter entered the Naval Military Academy in 1990 and received his commission as an Ensign in 1995. He was promoted to Captain on August 3, 2021. A specialist in submarines and communications, and a graduate of the Naval War College, he has spent most of his professional life in positions related to the submarine force and communications of the Spanish Navy. He has held various boarding positions on submarines of the "Delfín" and "Galerna" classes. His submarine career culminated, after completing the submarine commander course in Toulon, France, with the rare privilege of commanding two submarines: the "Siroco" and the "Tramontana."

He has also commanded the combat supply ship "Patiño" and the patrol boat "Toralla." He has served aboard the aircraft carrier “Príncipe de Asturias” and the frigate “Santa María.”

On land, he has been Commandant-Director of the Navy Petty Officer School and has been assigned to the Directorate General of Defense Policy, the Navy's Information and Telecommunications Systems Headquarters, and the staffs of the Navy (Communications Division), the Fleet (Operations Section), the Submarine Flotilla (Operations Section), and the Maritime Action Force (Communications Section). He was selected to lead the operations area in defining the Combat System for the S-80 submarine, which was developed at NAVANTIA-Sistemas FABA in San Fernando.

He has held the position of Head of the Management Body of the Directorate General for Information and Communications Systems and Technologies Center of the Ministry of Defense since September 2024. Delgado is fully proficient in English and French, and enjoys history, sports, and music. He is married and has three children.