Spain announces €7.3 billion defence spending plan
Spain’s government has given the green light for a €7.3 billion renewal of military equipment which it portrayed as ‘social spending’ that will create thousands of jobs.
‘The defence ministry will launch three military programmes with an investment of €7.33 billion ($8.2 billion),’ the ministry said in a statement on 14 December 2018 detailing a plan that runs until 2032.
Already on Thursday, the government announced its state-owned group Navantia would build five frigates for the navy for €4.3 billion.
On Friday, the defence ministry added a further €2.1 billion would go to developing and building 348 VCR 8x8 armoured vehicles.
These will replace ageing vehicles which have been blamed for endangering soldiers.
In a radio interview, Defence Minister Margarita Robles referred to an incident in Lebanon in 2007 when several Spanish soldiers died, partly because one vehicle ‘lacked the necessary armour-plating.’
The third programme aims to modernise Eurofighter fighter planes used by the Spanish air force.
Madrid has ordered 73 Eurofighters, which are made by a European consortium.
According to NATO, Spain is estimated to have used 0.93 percent of its GDP for military spending in 2018.
But like other members of the military alliance, it has promised to devote at least 2 percent of its GDP to defence by 2024 as the United States complains it takes on too much of NATO’s budget.
In January 2018, when the conservatives were in power, Spain had announced it intended to increase by 73 percent its military spending over seven years.
At the time, the Socialist opposition had criticised this rise, coming as it did with severe austerity measures following years of economic crisis.
But on Friday, Robles said the military investment was ‘social spending.’
‘Military spending contributes to security and defence but... also to creating jobs,’ she told Spanish radio.
‘We’re going to get more than 7,000 jobs over nine years in areas such as Galicia, Asturias in north western Spain where job creation is absolutely vital.’
The ministry estimates that ‘these programmes will generate at least 8,500 direct and indirect jobs in the coming years.’
You may also like
More from Defence Notes
-
![SOF Week 2026: US military tests AI algorithm to support missions in low-light scenarios]()
SOF Week 2026: US military tests AI algorithm to support missions in low-light scenarios
The US Army and USAF are evaluating an AI-enabled imaging capability from Deepnight designed to enhance low-light and no-light operations across multiple platforms and environments.
-
![Industrial capacity under scrutiny as US approves further $8.6 billion Middle East arms sale]()
Industrial capacity under scrutiny as US approves further $8.6 billion Middle East arms sale
The fast-tracked emergency approvals come as the conflict in the Middle East stretches out into its third month, after Iranian attacks depleted US allies’ missile stockpiles and testing air defence systems.
-
![Intelligence innovation: From data overload to decision advantage (Podcast)]()
Intelligence innovation: From data overload to decision advantage (Podcast)
As militaries face an overwhelming flow of data, the challenge is shifting from collection to delivering fast, actionable insights that drive decision-making. Advances in AI and data integration are helping armed forces move beyond siloed systems to generate real-time intelligence across domains and allies.
-
![SAHA 2026 to Convene the Global Defence Ecosystem]()
SAHA 2026 to Convene the Global Defence Ecosystem
SAHA 2026 brings global defence and aerospace leaders to Istanbul for partnerships, launches, panels and high-value meetings.
-
![Teledyne FLIR adds GPS-denied 3D-mapping capabilities to its CBRN uncrewed platforms]()
Teledyne FLIR adds GPS-denied 3D-mapping capabilities to its CBRN uncrewed platforms
In a partnership with Emesent, Teledyne FLIR will equip its autonomous air, ground and detection systems with the Hovermap LiDAR payload in a move that highlights a broader market shift towards modular architectures, shared payloads and interoperability across platforms.
-
![US seeks 32% boost for missile defence budget with $23 billion earmarked for interceptors]()
US seeks 32% boost for missile defence budget with $23 billion earmarked for interceptors
The Pentagon’s proposed budget for the next fiscal year includes an impressive increase in the procurement of interceptors, with the number of the US Army’s PAC-3 MSE rounds expanding by 683%, the US Navy’s Standard Missile by 365% and the MDA’s SM-3 IIA by more than 1,000%.
