| Spanish Armed Forces | |
|---|---|
| Fuerzas Armadas de España | |
 | |
| Founded | 20 January 1479 (546 years, 306 days) |
| Service branches | |
| Headquarters | Madrid,Spain |
| Leadership | |
| Monarch |  Felipe VI |
| Prime Minister |  Pedro Sánchez |
| Minister of Defence | Margarita Robles |
| Chief of the Defence Staff |  Admiral GeneralTeodoro Esteban López Calderón |
| Personnel | |
| Military age | 18 |
| Conscription | No |
| Active personnel | 121,802 (2023) |
| Reserve personnel | 24,033 (2023) |
| Expenditure | |
| Budget | €33.123 billion(2025)[1] |
| Percent of GDP | 2% (2025) |
| Industry | |
| Domestic suppliers | Airbus Santa Bárbara Navantia Indra Gamesa Abengoa Instalaza UROVESA |
| Foreign suppliers |  France Germany European Union United States Switzerland CanadaCancellation Suppliers:  Israel |
| Annual imports | US$112 million (2014–2022)[2] |
| Annual exports | US$752 million (2014–2022)[2] |
| Related articles | |
| History | Military history of Spain Warfare directory of Spain Wars involving Spain Battles involving Spain |
| Ranks | Military ranks of Spain |
TheSpanish Armed Forces are in charge of guaranteeing the sovereignty and independence of theKingdom of Spain, defending its territorial integrity and the constitutional order, according to the functions entrusted to them by theConstitution of 1978. They are composed of: theArmy, theAir and Space Force, theNavy, theRoyal Guard, and theMilitary Emergencies Unit, as well as the so-calledCommon Corps.
Spain occupies a prominent position in the structure ofNATO, which it joined in 1982. Yet, it spends significantly less than 2% of GDP on defence, as advised by NATO. This puts it among the countries with the lowest spending within NATO.
Spain has the oldestMarine Infantry in the world and the oldest permanent military units in the world: theInfantry Regiment "Inmemorial del Rey" No. 1 and theInfantry Regiment "Soria" No. 9.
After the longReconquista ending in 1492, Spain evolved into Europe's foremost power with the voyages ofChristopher Columbus the same year, leading to Spain acquiring vast lands in the Americas and conquering a number of overseas civilizations in the decades to come. The period of reconquest of Iberia had ended, and now Spain entered an era of overseas conquest spearheaded byconquistadors. Theconquest of the Aztec Empire, theconquest of the Inca Empire and the conquest of thePhilippines ensued propelling Spain to the foremost military superpower of the time. Spain was also victorious over the French in theItalian Wars, annexing southern Italy. During the reign of Charles V and Philip II, Spain reached the peak of its power with theSpanish Empire spanning 19.4 million square km of the Earth's surface, a total of 13% being the first empire which the Sun never sets. By the mid 17th century Spain had been militarily weakened by theThirty Years War, theEighty Years War along with financial problems, and the lack of reforms, though still holding firm to the bulk of theAmerican Continent.
During the 18th century the newBourbon dynasty revived Spain's economic and military power through a series of important reforms in the armed forces and the economy, notably those of Charles III of Spain. Thanks to these reforms, Spain performed well during the war ofJenkins' Ear defending overseas territory, won the war ofAustrian Succession but had mixed result during the Seven Years' War. Spain had also led successful campaigns in theAmerican Revolutionary War. Spain had recovered considerably by the outbreak of the French Revolution, by 1790, theSpanish Empire was the largest empire in the world. The occupation of a great part of Spain by the French during theNapoleonic Wars resulted inPeninsular War, which was characterized by use on a large scale of guerrilla troops, made necessary by the war's devastating effect on the Spanish economy. Although victorious in the Peninsular War over Napoleonic France, the Spanish military was in poor condition and political instability resulted in the loss of most of Spain's former colonies, who had rebelled against Spanish rule in theSpanish American wars of independence, except Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines. These too would be lost later in theSpanish–American War.
In the 20th century, the Spanish armed forces did not intervene in theFirst World War (neutrality) or in theSecond World War (non-belligerent), although they did intervene in theSpanish Civil War and in some colonial conflicts. After the arrival of democracy in 1978, they underwent a strong modernization process, becoming modern armed forces. In 1982 Spain enteredNATO.
Recently, in the last decades of the 20th century and the first decades of the 21st, Spanish troops have participated together with their Western allies in operations such asGulf War,NATO bombing of Yugoslavia,KFOR,War on terror,2011 military intervention in Libya,Combined Task Force 150 orUNIFIL, to name a few examples.
Spain participated along with France, the United Kingdom, Italy, Denmark, the United States and Canada in the2011 intervention againstMuammar Gaddafi in Libya, contributing atanker, 4F/A-18 Hornet fighter jets, afrigate, asubmarine and asurveillance aircraft, along with logistical support from theNaval Station Rota and theMorón Air Base.
Spain has belonged toNATO since 1982. The decision was ratified in the1986 referendum by the Spanish people. The conditions were the reduction of American military bases, non-integration of Spain in the military structure of NATO, and the prohibition of introducingnuclear weapons in Spain.
As of June 2017, 3,093 soldiers of the Spanish Armed Forces and theCivil Guard are part of the nineteen operations where Spain has an active role.[3]
According to the National Security Department of Spain (DSN), these are the current missions of the armed forces and civil guard:[3]
The Spanish Armed Forces also participated in the last few years in other missions, above all humanitarian and observation: in Albania in 1999, Mozambique in 2000, Republic of Macedonia in 2001, Haiti in 2004 and Indonesia in 2005. In 2006, Spain participated inDarfur, Sudanby sending observers, and in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Spain also participated in the Iraq War between 2003 and 2004, in Gabon and in Senegal to safeguard maritime traffic in the Horn of Africa (with 33 Civil Guards and national police officers, two patrol vessels and a helicopter).[4] In 2015, 46UME soldiers and 12 Civil Guards of the High Mountain Group went to help and rescue in theNepal earthquake, along with six dogs, three scientific police and aBoeing 707 of supplies transport of theAir and Space Force.[5][6]
The cost of these missions abroad amounts to approximately 800 million euros per year.[7]
Thecommander-in-chief of the Armed Forces is theMonarch; with theex officio rank ofCaptain General in theArmy,Navy andAir and Space Force. TheSpanish Constitution of 1978 states in article 62(h) that the King of Spain shall have "supreme command of the Armed Forces"; however under article 64, all official acts of the Monarch must becountersigned by the President of the Government (or other competent minister) to become valid.
ThePresident of the Government (also known asPrime Minister in English translations), as thehead of government, is responsible under article 97 for "domestic and foreign policy, civil and military administration and the defense of the State", and thus bears the ultimate responsibility before theCortes Generales, and the Spanish electorate.
The Minister of Defense is in charge of running theMinistry of Defense, which carries out the day-to-day administration of the forces. The President of the Government and the Minister of Defense arecivilians. No provision in the Constitution requires the Government to seek approval from the Cortes Generales before sending the armed forces abroad.
TheChief of the Defense Staff directs theDefense Staff and is the senior military advisor to the Minister and the Government. The military leadership of the three military services are: theChief of Staff of the Army, theChief of Staff of the Air and Space Force and theChief of Staff of the Navy.
The structure, and incumbents as of 2025[update], are:
Commander in Chief:KingFelipe VI,Captain General of the Armed Forces.svg)
President of the Government:Pedro Sánchez.Minister of Defence:Margarita Robles.
Chief of the Defense Staff:Admiral GeneralTeodoro E. López Calderón.The Spanish armed forces are a professional force with a strength in 2017 of 121,900 active personnel and 4,770 reserve personnel. The country also has the 77,000 strongCivil Guard which comes under the control of the Ministry of defense in times of a national emergency. The Spanish defense budget is 5.71 billion euros (US$7.2 billion) a 1% increase for 2015. The increase comes because of security concerns in the country.[8]
TheSpanish Army consists of 15 active brigades and 6 military regions. Modern infantry have diverse capabilities and this is reflected in the varied roles assigned to them. There are four operational roles that infantry battalions can fulfil: air assault, armoured infantry, mechanised infantry, and light role infantry.
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Under the command of theSpanish Admiral Chief of Naval Staff, stationed inMadrid, theSpanish Navy has four area commands:
The current flagship of the Spanish Navy is theamphibious assault ship/aircraft carrierJuan Carlos I. In addition, the fleet consists of: 2amphibious transport docks, 11frigates, 3submarines, 6 mine countermeasure vessels, 23 patrol vessels and a number of auxiliary ships. The total displacement of the Spanish Navy is approximately 220,000 tonnes. As of 2012, the Armada has a strength of 20,838 personnel.[9]
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The Marines, in Spanish,Infanteria de Marina, are the marine infantry of the Spanish Navy, the oldest in the world. It has a strength of 5,000 troops divided into base defense forces and landing forces. One of the three base defense battalions is stationed with each of the Navy headquarters. "Groups" (midway between battalions and regiments) are stationed in Madrid and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. The Tercio (fleet — regiment equivalent) is available for immediate embarkation and based out of San Fernando. Its principal weapons include light tanks, armored combat vehicles, self-propelled artillery, and SPIKE antitank missiles.
Spanish Air and Space Force currently has 10 fighter squadrons, each with 18–24 airplanes. The Air and Space Force also has 15 operational air bases around the country. The Air and Space Force operates a wide-ranging fleet of aircraft, from fighters to transport aircraft and passenger transports to helicopters. It maintains some 450 aircraft in total, of which around 130 are fighter aircraft (Eurofighter Typhoons and F-18 MLU). The Spanish Air and Space Force is replacing older aircraft in the inventory with newer ones including the recently introduced Eurofighter Typhoon and the Airbus A400M Atlas airlifter. Both are manufactured with Spanish participation; EADS CASA makes the Eurofighter's right wing and leading edge slats, and participates in the testing and assembly of the airlifter.[10] Its aerobatic display team is the Patrulla Aguila, which flies the CASA C-101 Aviojet. Its helicopter display team, Patrulla Aspa, flies the Eurocopter EC-120 Colibrí. In July 2014 the Spanish Air Force joined the European Air Transport Command, headquartered at Eindhoven Airbase in the Netherlands.[11]
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The Common Corps are four corps that provide professional services to all the branches of the Armed Forces and the Civil Guard. The Common Corps were created in the 1980s to unify the specialist corps of the different branches for operational reasons. The Common Corps are:
TheRoyal Guard (Guardia Real) is an independent unit of the Spanish Armed Forces whose primary task is the military protection of the King of Spain and theSpanish royal family. It also protects visiting Heads of State.
The Royal Guard's history dates back tomedieval times, the Corps of Gentlemen of the Chamber, the "Monteros de Espinosa", dating to 1006.
It currently has a strength of 1,900 troops, constituting a fully functional combat unit drawn from the ranks of all three branches of the Spanish Armed Forces: among others, a Marines company, a Paratroop company and an infantry company. Some units have served recently in Afghanistan and Bosnia.
TheMilitary Emergencies Unit (Spanish:Unidad Militar de Emergencias), is the most recently instituted branch of the Spanish Armed Forces, resulting from a decision of theCouncil of Ministers of Spain in 2005.
In addition to headquarters staff (Unidad de Cuartel General, there are five emergency intervention battalions (Batallon de Intervención en Emergencias, BIEM), a support regiment (Regimiento de Apoyo a Emergencias) and an aerial group (Agrupación de Medios Aéreos).
It is responsible for providing disaster relief principally throughout Spain but also if necessary abroad. The activities including handling natural hazards such as floods and earthquakes, forest fires, chemical and nuclear accidents, and other emergency situations recognized as such by the Prime Minister of Spain.
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