351 Catalina Ruiz-Rico Ruiz The armed forces and the current model of social... The Spanish Armed Forces’ participation in humanitarian operations carried out within the framework of international organisations and done over and above strict compliance with current legislation could be included in the SR framework. Voluntary adoption of a Code of Conduct is a socially responsible action and, in this way, the Ministry of Defence has promoted this initiative with companies that have dealings overseas. In 2008, the Secretary of State for Defence set out the strategic objective of drafting a code of conduct for defence industries “focused on deepening understanding and adapting to challenges to guarantee capacity for defence and sustainable operability in the medium and long term…which has allowed for the integration of the principles of social responsibility into the supply chain, as well as increasing the capacity of the Spanish technological and industrial base of defence within the national, European and global market”. Nonetheless, various pieces of legislation are applicable within the Army including legislation regulating the ethical framework for activities carried out by members of the Government and high-level officials of the State General Administration as well as the Code of Good Governance (Order APU/516/2005, from 3 March); the law regulating conflicts of interest affecting members of the Government and high-level officials of the State General Administration (Law 5/2006, from 10 April (BOE 11 April)); the regulation that develops Law 5/2006, from 10 April, regulating conflicts of interest affecting members of the Government and high-level officials of the State General Administration (Royal Decree 432/2009 from 27 March). Thus, the model of social responsibility in the public sector cannot be limited to its promotion between companies that contract with the institutions, but should also be taken on within public organisations. From this perspective, the delimitation of stakeholders or interest groups related to the military organisation (providers, administrations or society in general) is an issue that has to be looked at before implementing SR. The public service provided by the Army, as well as its purpose of guaranteeing security and defence, mean that the Ministry of Defence’s interest groups have to be determined as set out in the SR Report (2010), integrating the Defence Commission of the Spanish Parliament, the political groups elected to represent society in the Government Chambers, civilian and military personnel, families of military personnel, other ministerial departments and Public Administrations, international security and defence bodies, the communities where the Armed Forces are present, companies in the defence and security sector, universities and the media. Social action plans also include socially responsible measures related to the care and education of children, the care of disabled persons, cost of health treatment for military personnel and their families, and aid in exceptional situations. From the perspective of SR, certain measures should be highlighted, including aid for single fathers for the care of their children aged younger than three years, and aid and benefits managed http://revista.ieee.es/index.php/ieee
Revista del IEEE 6
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