Spain set to spend 1.3% of GDP on defense this year

By Alyssa McMurtry

OVIEDO, Spain (AA) - Spain is set to spend 1.3% of its gross domestic product on defense this year, the country’s defense minister announced on Thursday.

Speaking at a public defense commission, Margarita Robles highlighted that Spain's progressive coalition government has carried out its "commitment" to defense. In 2018, when the administration led by Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez took office, the country was investing just 0.93% of its GDP in defense.

Robles added that the country is on track to reach its NATO commitment of spending 2% of its GDP on the military by 2029.

According to NATO figures, Spain spent 1.01% of GDP on defense in 2022 – the lowest share of GDP of all the allies except for Luxembourg.

In 2023, Spain’s spending reached 1.24%, according to Robles.

Within NATO, Greece and the US spent the most on defense in 2022, according to the defense organization, at 3.76% and 3.47% of GDP respectively.

In a July 2023 publication, NATO insisted that “2% should be a floor rather than a ceiling.”

Robles said one of the Spanish government’s priorities is “strengthening Spain’s position in the international security system,” especially within the EU, NATO, and UN.

She also explained that besides protecting Spain, the main aim of the country’s defense policy is to “contribute to preserving international peace and security within the framework of Spain’s commitments.”

At the same time, Robles stressed that more defense spending is helping make Spain’s economy “more dynamic.”

“It drives forward an industrial sector that generates high-quality employment and a modern productive fabric," she said.

On Thursday, Sanchez announced that the Defense Ministry contracted a €439 million ($478 million) combat supply vessel from the Spanish company Navantia. The contract will create around 1,800 direct and indirect jobs in Galicia, he said.

However, his announcement, coming just a few weeks before Galicia's regional elections, was criticized by rival politicians in the region as either a false promise or as a move to attract votes.