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The bilateral meeting with NATO in Madrid, known as ‘Step 3’, will put the state of Spain’s military capabilities on the table. Defence will present to NATO representatives at the end of January the Chief of Staff’s capabilities objective, the troop increase and the 79 programmes currently under development.
These programmes cover land, naval, aerospace, cyber and information systems. They include 31 Special Modernisation Plans, ranging from tracked combat vehicles to upgrading F-100 frigates, electronic warfare systems and multi-role helicopters.
The Industrial and Technological Plan for Security and Defence, approved in April 2024, has mobilised an additional 10,741 million euros this year, an amount that, according to sources from the department headed by Margarita Robles, has been fully executed.
The clash over the percentage of GDP
This is the sticking point. Spain pledged at the Hague summit to allocate 2% of GDP to defence, as opposed to the 5% agreed by other allies. Pedro Sánchez’s government maintains that with 2.1% of GDP it can meet the agreed capability requirements. NATO, however, considers that at least 3.5% is needed.
The investment also seeks to strengthen national strategic autonomy and the defence industrial base, with a high participation of Spanish companies in the programmes. Plans include knowledge transfer and reduction of foreign dependencies.
Strengthened international presence
At the operational level, Spain has around 4,000 military personnel and civil guards deployed in 15 countries during 2025, as approved by the Council of Ministers on 23 December. However, for the time being there is no Spanish military presence in Greenland.
The most significant participation is concentrated on NATO’s eastern flank, with troops in Latvia, Slovakia and Romania. It also maintains a presence in the ‘Persistent Effort’ operation, which brings together air police and airspace defence missions, in addition to the Permanent Naval Groupings.
The executive branch describes the balance of 2025 as very positive and assures that military investment is here to stay.