Working Paper “The Spanish Government’s arms build-up”

The commitment acquired by President Pedro Sánchez to reach 2% of GDP in military spending by 2029 at the Summit that took place in Madrid in June 2022, has translated into a great increase in armament procurement, which has reached figures never seen before in 45 years of democracy in Spain.

In the four-year period (2020-2023) of government coalition between PSOE (centre-left) and Unidas Podemos (left), a total of 24,139.7 million euros investments were made in Special Weapons Programs (PEM, formerly called PEA), which total 21 new programs and four modifications to existing ones. These commitments will mortgage the spending of future governments until 2035 and will foreseeably increase the debt.

The budget of the Ministry of Defense increased in 2023 by 23.4% with respect to 2022 and, due to the commitments made in investments in new EMPs, in 2024 it will rise again by no less, once again exceeding the much talked-about 2% of GDP in military spending requested by NATO.

On the other hand, there are the investments in military R&D to develop the weapons programs. In 2023 the Government allocated 1,833 million to military R&D for the development of new weapons, 11.2% of total R&D in public aid. This amount increased by 95% over the previous year, from 938.5 M€ in 2022 to 1,833.3 M€ in 2023, contributing to a 361.7% growth in the last ten years .

Author: Pere Ortega

You can consult and download here the complete Working Paper in Spanish here.

This new paper by Centre Delàs of Peace Studies, in collaboration with the IPB and GCOMS, has been published with the support of the Barcelona City Council.