"War is a multi-headed hydra from which you always find the one you least expect"

The year 2010, Spain had just become world champion, Europe was beginning to breathe after the subjugation of the economy by the 2008 crisis, while in Lisbon, the last strategic concept of the most important defence institution in the world, NATO, would be signed until this year. At that time, war was lived on television and was not given any importance, until war came to Europe.

NATO is Europe's security, but it is in need of repair because of events such as the statements made at the time by Donald Trump, the military incursions in Syria, the failure of troops in Afghanistan, or statements such as those made by Macron in 2019 in which he spoke of the brain death of NATO. Statements that excessively damaged the Alliance's ecosystem, generating symptoms of weakness. If we could summarise this new strategic concept in three fundamental pillars, they would be collective security, crisis management and cooperative security, with the first being the main one and the other two being complementary pillars of the first.

Following the meeting in Brussels four days ago of the Defence Ministers of the member countries of the Atlantic Alliance, the conclusion was reached that not enough is being invested in defence, but they concluded that, due to the war situation that has been taking place in Europe since February of this year, society's mentality has changed. Within the framework of the strategic change carried out by NATO, the main key points discussed and argued at the seminar were the reinforcement of the defence and security of countries bordering Russia against attacks of any kind, including nuclear attacks, support for Ukraine's territorial sovereignty and NATO's 360° collective security project.

Admiral Don Juan Francisco Martínez, Secretary General for Defence Policy at the Ministry of Defence, began the presentation by outlining that in today's changing world, we learn every day. He argued that the war had been a catalyst for NATO reform, as the different European societies had never been in favour of increasing defence spending. Maintaining overall unity has been the best outcome of the Madrid summit. Moreover, it comes out stronger in the global vision thanks to the collaboration of the Asia-Pacific countries. "We can describe #NATO after Madrid as a NATO that is more global in its outlook, and where the southern flank is an area of preferential interest; a novel temptation that has strengthened Spain's security," said Mariola Urrea, Professor of International Law and European Union at the University of La Rioja.

Madrid was not just another summit; the Madrid summit has served to ease tensions between members and has changed the framework in which NATO will move in the next 10 years. 2022 was already going to be a turbulent year before the conflict, but the military aggression on 24 February brought about a change and an acceleration of the alliance's military and therefore defence processes. The idea is to strengthen defence in all countries and in all its forms.

Álvaro Ortega, Deputy Director General for Foreign and Security Policy, stated that "Russia's aggression against Ukraine has meant a paradigm shift, a turning point in the global security structure that has led to an enormous acceleration of reform processes in both the Alliance and the EU".

Let us not forget that the Russian conflict began in 2014 after the annexation of Crimea, where NATO had to adopt the measure of reaching 2% of GDP in defence at the Wales Summit. The Alliance does not seek escalation but rather de-escalation and dialogue. It is this paradigm shift that has had the most political influence in the Alliance's history.

The new concept has allies very much involved. It is the practical application of allies' political ambition to a concrete situation. In 2010 security was high and now in 2022 uncertainty is clear and out in the open. Cooperation programmes with Russia were suspended with Crimea in 2014 even though there were friendly relations with NATO. Under current conditions it cannot be a partner. China is not an enemy, it is a competitor, but the way it is reshaping the world will have consequences for us. While in 2010 there was talk of immigration problems in North Africa and terrorist attacks, in 2022 the current problems we have now are mainly climate change and dealing with cybersecurity and space security.

For Spain, this strategic change represents an economic, political and military responsibility. Politically, it is no longer a nation on its own, it is Europe, it is NATO, that is to say, any problem that affects Spain will be part of Europe and NATO. The economic point is given by the context of the annexation of Russia, the economy has always been part of the war, becoming a tool of combat. From the military point of view, Spain has always complied and we are in a good position. As Félix Arteaga, international security and defence researcher at the Elcano Royal Institute, says: "We thought that the main problem of the Strategic Concept was to explain why such a determined and strict defence structure needs to be put in place. But the February invasion has changed that. There is a perception that more needs to be done".

On the Sahel, we will be hand in hand with the EU, we need to look for a partner. For NATO to look at the south as a threat has been a long road for the EU. The EU wants the threats from the South to be considered within the 360 approach. We need to have a clear and drafted security of the Sahel, we need to take action, we will need a military shield, we will need combat operations, alone or with others, but we also need to do it alone.

In conclusion, the participants, both the military speakers and the diplomats and scholars, agreed that spending should be structural, i.e., that it should form part of the state's core expenditure. To make society see that it is a global issue of the security of people's rights. Always be clear that freedom must be defended in the face of authoritarianism, that there is no room for negotiation, that the necessary measures must be adopted. Either we defend freedom or we don't, either we believe in human rights or we don't, we must be clear about what we want. We must be prepared for anything, because the use of the nuclear bomb has broken all the taboos that existed, at least in the tone of the contenders.