Introduction
Spanish security and defense and Spain’s contribution to international security are a foreign policy priority. The defense of Spain’s independence and territorial integrity, its democratic values, its institutions, and its economic resources is vital to the liberty and welfare of Spanish citizens.
An interdependent world requires cooperation in matters of security, where security is defined as the common defense of common interests. This is especially true for countries with which we share similar values, and with which Spain has formed collective security structures.
Our security and prosperity are dependent on an effective multilateral system comprised of many mutually complementary elements performing a wide variety of tasks over a wide range of geographic locations, from the global framework of the United Nations to sub-regional cooperation mechanisms.
Two multilateral components in particular are of vital importance to security in Spain and in neighboring countries and to the focus of Spain’s contributions to international security and stability: The North Atlantic Alliance (NATO) and the European Union’s security and defense policy (ESDP)
Spanish foreign policy actively promotes the strengthening of transatlantic ties, which are embodied in the Alliance, and which are fundamental for the defense of the common values that form the basis for our societies. NATO, which is the international organization that serves as the official instrument of the North Atlantic Alliance, plays an important role in both European and world security.
NATO is one of the key elements in the security structures of both Spain and Europe, which means that over time it has been adapted to the changes in global strategy that have taken place in recent decades.
Spain has made significant contributions to this ongoing transformation process within the Alliance. The process was initiated during the November 2002 Prague Summit, where it was decided that the Alliance would be expanded to include seven new members from Central and Eastern Europe (Bulgaria, Slovakia, Slovenia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Romania), raising the number of allies to 26, and continued during the June 2004 Istanbul Summit, where it was decided that the Alliance’s relation with its seven Mediterranean Partners (Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Morocco, Mauritania, and Tunisia) should be further strengthened.
In November of 2006 at the Riga Summit, political and military transformations were made. NATO has adapted its capabilities and has established a new military structure in order to more effectively handle new security challenges wherever they may be found, including the growing threat of terrorism and weapons of mass destruction.
For political reasons, it was decided to open Euro-Atlantic Partnership instruments to all Alliance partners, including Mediterranean Dialog countries, and to interested “contact countries”. In addition, the Middle East Training Cooperation Initiative, which is oriented toward Mediterranean partners and Istanbul Cooperation Initiative countries, was launched.
The most notable military advancement was the declaration of full operational capability of the NATO Response Force or NRF, in which Spain has participated since its inception. Spain, which commanded the Land Component during the second half of 2005, assumed the bulk of the Pakistan aid operation following the earthquake in December of that year, which constituted the first NRF mission. The first 2007 rotation (NRF-8) placed Spain at the command of the Maritime Component, to which it contributed its General Staff and 7 units, in addition to its contributions to the remaining two components. NRF-9 placed Spain in command of the Special Operations Component.
Notwithstanding its fundamental role in European defense and stability in the Balkans, NATO has also shown a willingness to act outside the traditional Euro-Atlantic zone. The Alliance, under the command of the United Nations, has control of the International Stabilization Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan, which is supported by 650 Spanish troops. Spain also heads a Provincial Reconstruction Team in the Badghis province and continues to carry out anti-terror naval surveillance missions in the Mediterranean.
At the same time, NATO has developed a tight cooperation and partnership network with other European, Caucasus, and Central Asian countries. It enjoys close cooperation with Russia (NATO-Russia Council) and Ukraine (NATO-Ukraine Commission), as well as with the Mediterranean Dialog countries (Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Morocco, Mauritania, and Tunisia).
Today, Spain actively promotes the process of transforming the Alliance to handle new security challenges, including the threat of terrorism and weapons of mass destruction. This threat is an attack ultimately on the values represented by the political systems of the Allies: democracy, the rule of law, and respect for human rights.
Within the Alliance itself, Spain has remained a staunch defender of transatlantic ties, cooperation between the European Union and the Alliance, and the preservation of consensus and cohesion among the Allies.
Spain has supported expanding the Alliance to Central and Eastern Europe, which has resulted in a total of 10 new members between the 1997 Madrid Summit and the November 2002 Prague Summit; Spain has also supported the “open door” policy and gradual outreach that has made such expansion possible. Currently, there are three new candidates for NATO membership: Albania, Croatia, and FYR Macedonia These three countries are participants in what is known as the Membership Action Plan (MAP).
Spanish support of NATO expansion is a reflection of its firm dedication to a Europe that has overcome the divisions of the past. Expansion will help strengthen the security of the continent as well as Spain’s own security. The eventual incorporation of the southeastern European countries will further increase NATO’s contribution to stability along the southern edge of the Alliance.
The Spanish Government has backed NATO partnerships with Russia and Central and Eastern European countries and, in particular, continues to promote dialog and cooperation between the Alliance and the countries along the southern Mediterranean coast.
Spain adds considerable strength to NATO structures and operations and, since its full incorporation into the integrated military structure in 1998, has continued to increase its involvement, assuming commitments and responsibilities in the new military structure adopted in June of 2003 and even installing the Southern European land forces headquarters at Madrid-Retamares. The Spanish Armed Forces are actively involved in military operations carried out by the Alliance in the interest of international peace and common security, whether in the Balkans, in Afghanistan, or through anti-terror naval surveillance missions on the Mediterranean.
From the beginning, Spain has promoted the development of an authentic EU defense policy, which is an essential element of effective EU foreign action, as it will give the EU the capacity for autonomous crisis management. As an integral part of Common Security and Foreign Policy (CFSP), the European Security and Defense Policy (ESDP) is a sign of true solidarity to both Member States and to the entire world, allowing the EU to stand up to today’s crises and security challenges.
The ESDP is a key to increasing the effectiveness of the Union’s foreign action and an additional European contribution to common security that complements NATO.
Although much remains to be done, the ESDP has already made significant progress, based on the development of military capabilities, the solid pace of initial European crisis management operations, and the implementation of NATO cooperation mechanisms, as indicated in the Conclusions of the Brussels European Council Meeting of December 14 and 15, 2006.
The ESDP must help to strengthen transatlantic ties. The Union and the Alliance must strengthen each other, and avoid rivalry and duplicate efforts. At the same time, the Europeans must be willing to assume greater responsibility for international security. Spain is an active participant in efforts to strengthen the ESDP and improve its crisis management capabilities, whether acting in cooperation with NATO or independently, when the Alliance as such has not become involved.
In 2003, the European Council adopted a document from the Secretary General/High Official regarding the Union’s Security Strategy entitled “A Secure Europe in a Better World” (PDF, 104 Kb).
Since its inception in 1999, the ESDP has made significant progress both at the institutional level (the General Staff of the European Union, the Civil-Military Cell, the Operations Center, and the European Arms Agency) and from an operative perspective: For instance, the European Union has initiated over a dozen civil and military crisis management operations, both with NATO support and independently; in addition, the tactical group or battlegroup concept reached operational capability in 2007. Spain has provided a national tactical group with Franco-German Battlegroup cross participation; and has also contributed to the Spanish-Italian Amphibious Battlegroup, which has also received participation from Greece and Portugal.