İspanya, NATO yetenek hedeflerinde 32 ülke arasında yedinci sırada

Madrid: Spain ranks seventh among the 32 NATO countries in terms of capability targets achieved

(ANSA) - MADRID, 06 LUG - Spain is heading to the 36th NATO summit, tomorrow in Ankara, “with confidence and holding its head high,” bolstered by the military capability targets it has already achieved. This is reported by sources at the Moncloa Palace. After a year of repeated rebukes from U.S. President Donald Trump and pressure from allies such as Germany over Madrid’s refusal to commit to the 5% GDP target by 2035, the Sánchez government is determined to turn the narrative around, backed by “empirical data” verified by the Alliance itself. According to NATO’s latest technical review, the sources explain, Madrid ranks seventh out of 32 countries in terms of compliance with required military capabilities—namely, troops, naval and air assets, air defense, logistics, and other assets allocated to defense plans. “If only all allies would honor their commitments like Spain, which keeps its promises,” Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares remarked this morning, pointing to “four allies that have not yet reached 2% of GDP for defense spending and three that have not delivered all the capabilities required by NATO”. Sources at Moncloa specify that, among these, there is at least one major Alliance country, but they avoid naming names. Madrid highlights its operational contributions: it is the third-largest ally in terms of personnel deployed on international missions—with 3,000 military personnel, rising to 4,500 when EU and UN missions are included—and the leading contributor on the eastern flank, with forces deployed in Slovakia, Romania, Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania, as well as with Patriot systems in Turkey—in addition to being the second-largest contributor to naval capabilities and the fourth-largest to air capabilities. The government defends the increase in military spending, which has risen by 154% in real terms over the eight years of Pedro Sánchez’s administrations, from 11.2 billion in 2018 to 35.4 billion in 2025, and points out that 80% of these investments remain within the national and European industries. Finally, the government expresses satisfaction with the draft final declaration of the summit, which it describes as “balanced” in content. It also credits Secretary-General Mark Rutte with crafting a text that enjoys broad support, focused on capability goals, strengthening industry, and supporting Ukraine—in connection with which it notes that Spain has allocated over 1 billion euros for military equipment, assistance, and training. This contribution exceeds those of France, Italy, or the United States. Read article...