The Armed Forces openly report on the Army's permanent missions on Spanish soil

The Asociación de Diplomados en Altos Estudios de la Defensa Nacional (ADALEDE) organised a round table with the aim of showing what the permanent missions of the Spanish Army consist of and how they are carried out. The reason for this round table was derived from the lack of knowledge that exists, in general terms, about the functioning and objectives of the operations carried out by the Armed Forces within our borders. 

The colloquium was attended by high-ranking members of the Armed Forces, including personalities from the Army, Air Force, Navy and the Joint Cyberspace Command.

The president of ADALEDE, David Javier Santos, opened the debate by stating that the aim of the event was to recognise and inform about the permanent missions of the Armed Forces since, as he stated, "national defence is a problem for all Spaniards".

Along these lines, he claimed that there is a "profound lack of knowledge" about the military operations carried out on our borders, and expressed his gratitude for the aid provided by the Army in this context marked by the COVID-19 pandemic. In this sense, the debate was strongly marked by the need for the Armed Forces to try to obtain material, financial and human resources to deal, in the most appropriate way, with the risks they face. The lieutenant general of the Spanish Army, Miguel Martín, continued with these appeals, affirming that "it is vital that the armies be provided with the necessary capabilities", thus demanding the need to have adequate equipment to deal with the anti-drone fight, to obtain distant artillery fire and sufficient money to maintain it. 

Likewise, they argued the need to include these requests in the General State Budget since, in most situations, these missions are financed by peacekeeping appropriations, which generates "great uncertainty". According to NATO data, Spain is the member country that invests the least proportion of its GDP in defence. For the Navy's second-in-command, Admiral Carlos Martínez Merello-Díaz, "the best way to maintain capabilities and fulfil our mission is to invest in defence".

The permanent missions constitute the Armed Forces' commitment to the citizens through national unity and solidarity. In these missions, the Armed Forces provide support in situations of risk or catastrophe or in any situation of risk to the public that requires assistance. The head of combat air command, Lieutenant General César Simón López, assured that, in order to guarantee public safety, "the Air Force is the State's first military response to a crisis". He assured that the success of its permanent missions is due to "the high availability and speed of response thanks to its technological superiority and high degree of preparation". 

In this vein, participants stressed the importance of deterrence and defence in maintaining the country's security. Deterrence would be the main national security strategy and would seek to achieve military superiority. In the armed forces, this tactic is integrated by the country's capability, the will to carry it out and communication.  In the words of Lieutenant General Martín: "Deterrence works if there is a will to do it".  

The extraordinary situation in which the world's population finds itself has highlighted the importance of the Armed Forces in their actions for the benefit of society. One such example is Operation Balmis, in which the Army, the Air Force and the Military Emergency Unit took part. The objective of this operation was to collaborate in its resolution and minimise the consequences caused by the pandemic.