Spanish Secretary of State for Defence: "We must spend more, spend better and spend European"
Spain's Secretary of State for Defence, Amparo Valcarce, claims that the government is willing to "spend more, spend better and spend European", in line with one of the five main priorities agreed by the European Union's defence ministers at their meeting in Brussels on 28 May.
Valcarce, the most trusted politician of the Minister of Defence, the magistrate Margarita Robles, made these statements at the forum "Ensuring security and defence: the efforts of the Spanish defence industry", organised by the Dialogues for Democracy Club.
In her opinion, the commitment made by the Sánchez government to spend more, better and preferentially in Europe "is in line" with the oft-repeated announcement to NATO that Spain will reach 2 percent of GDP in defence investment by 2029.
Valcarce stressed that her department has "15 billion euros budgeted for 2024", with which it has initiated a "pattern of growth that has already allowed us to open a new investment cycle, which we are developing in collaboration and hand in hand with the Spanish defence industry".
She stated that Spain "must reinforce its strategic autonomy and take a leading role in European programmes". The industry," she stressed, "forms part of the security and defence system in Spain" and so that it can "strengthen its role, we ask it for ambition, agility, flexibility and commitment" with which to strengthen "muscle, which is not lacking, but which we must continue to work on".
Many billions to be absorbed by the industry
To back up his words, he announced that the "total" investment in armament and material procurement and special modernisation programmes "amounts to 43 billion euros, which means the creation of 73,000 jobs". Although she did not specify the time horizon of so many millions or the creation of so many jobs, she claimed that the government's budgetary and investment effort "has to be accompanied by the capacity of companies to absorb such important investments".
The woman in charge of armaments, research and military innovation policy placed special emphasis on the strategic programmes currently underway, to which she gives "the highest priority" because they are "vital for the development and strengthening of Spanish and European defence". In the land sphere, he mentioned several programmes underway, but highlighted the 8x8 Dragon Wheeled Combat Vehicle and the SILAM high mobility rocket launcher system, "an essential capability for the army".
On the naval side, he highlighted the S-81 submarine, "which marks a before and after for the Navy"; on the air side, the future European FCAS combat aircraft "which must be the great driving force for industry in Spain". And on the space side, he referred to the Spainsat NG programme, the Paz observation satellite and the Spanish military satellite communications system, Secomsat.
But she overlooked the key programmes that are in the pipeline, pending authorisation by the Council of Ministers. She did not anticipate any of them, not even in a veiled way. Not a word, for example, about the second Paz 2 radar observation satellite, or about activating an extensive drone defence programme. She only cited obvious thematic areas of importance, which he said "will make a difference and facilitate the presence of the Spanish defence industry in the global context". We want to move forward," she said, "in artificial intelligence technologies, additive manufacturing, robotics, 5G connections and photonics.
The speech by the head of weapons systems acquisition policy took place in front of an expectant audience made up of a large representation of military attachés and diplomatic personnel from third countries, professionals from the national defence industry and senior officials from Defence and the Armed Forces. Present were the Director of the CNI, Esperanza Casteleiro; the Chief of the Army General Staff, General Amador Enseñat; the Director General of INTA, Air Force General Julio Ayuso; and the Chief of the Army Logistic Support Command, General Fernando García y García de las Hijas.
Few answers to many questions
During the colloquium, the audience asked Amparo Valcarce around twenty questions in writing, which were put to her one after the other by the president of the Association of Spanish Defence and Security Graduates (ADESyD), Marian Caracuel. But the vast majority of the questions remained unanswered, except for three.
With regard to the questions on the S-80 programme, the Secretary of State described the first of its kind, the S-81 Isaac Peral, as "the best conventional submarine", an initiative of which "from an industrial point of view, we are extremely proud" and which is "an example of the government's technological commitment to the Navy".
Valcarce went into greater detail in drawing attention to the 8x8 vehicle programme, the army's future workhorse. She reminded the senior executives of the TESS industrial consortium - the main contractor formed by GDELS/Santa Bárbara, Indra, SAPA and Escribano - that "they have to do more, much more (...) to have strong and robust governance" and to be able to deliver "on time" the 92 armoured vehicles committed to in the first phase. "We have pointed this out to them, and I am convinced that they will live up to what has been asked of them".
Valcarce added that "we also want a technology centre in Asturias, the reinforcement of Alcalá de Guadaira - the Seville factory where the 8x8s are integrated - more quality employment and a firm commitment to training and talent retention". She affirmed that Defence has made a very important commitment to TESS and put the investment made by his ministry in the Dragon, Pizarro and Track Support Vehicle (CSV) programmes at "5,000 million euros", with the aim of "reinforcing" the capabilities of Spanish industry in the land sector.
On relations with Israel and the continuity of the arms programmes - Spike missiles and SILAM rocket launchers - in which Israeli industries are involved, Valcarce replied that "we are going to maintain each and every one of our commitments". She was categorical in specifying that "Spain is going to develop the SILAM programme, and it is going to do so with the companies with which we have signed the programme", in reference to both Israeli and Spanish companies.