Admiral Juan Francisco Martínez Núñez,
Undersecretary of Defence for Political Affairs
Defence, a safeguard
against future crises
Address by the Undersecretary of Defence for Political Affairs at the
presentation of the document entitled “COVID-19: implications for
Defence”, of the Real Instituto Elcano (4 June, 2020)
THIS pandemic has been one of those dramatic
events that requires all of a State’s resources to be
brought into play. The Armed Forces are obviously
part of those resources, and Operation Balmis is
a practical example of the role of modern Armed
Forces; namely, a close, reliable and versatile role.
The Army, Navy and Air Force are, first of all, a reserve
of people available and ready to act in any situation.
They have values such as discipline, spirit of service and
sacrifice, and they are part of an organization designed to
survive even in chaos and to continue operating no matter
how difficult the conditions may be.
Discipline, organization and spirit of service are
enhanced by education and training, and by the
willingness shown by our soldiers to support their fellow
citizens in all circumstances. Not only in their natural
circumstances, but in any circumstance.
Neither should the capabilities of the Armed Forces
be overlooked. Not all of them are useful in this crisis, but
they are designed to serve in compromising and critical
situations. They are diverse and sometimes unique.
I am not going to dwell on everything that has been
done by the military because it is well known to all.
However, I do think we have appraised a very important
institutional and moral aspect. Our soldiers belong to all
of us and they serve all of us. Their presence in our streets
has helped to unite wills and foster the spirit of collective
solidarity that is absolutely essential in order to emerge
from a crisis.
Furthermore, the pandemic has provided us with many
reflections and a profound experience on how to prepare
ourselves for future crises. It has introduced concepts that
are likely to stay, such as sufficiency and strategic reserve.
Concepts that seemed a bit outdated in a global world, but
that have been strongly rekindled. And this is not, as some
have advocated, a return to an autarchic approach; this
would be a very short-sighted view. There is a clear need to
achieve a certain self-sufficiency in resources and strategic
reserves in order to mitigate the first impact of a crisis, until
the mechanisms of foreign cooperation —available to every
country in the world in their particular situation and context—,
manage to be implemented. Let us hope that this is one of the
lessons learned at international level, and that the tragedy of
COVID will end up serving as a meeting point for international
solidarity and multilateralism.
There is no doubt that Defence is going to be affected
in every country by the enormous uncertainty of the
economic scenario we have to face. And this is where the
work we are presenting here today gains special value,
since it insists on the need to maintain an appropriate
level of effort in Defence. An adequate level. I would like
to make it clear that we do not intend to take advantage
of the disorientation experienced by citizens as a result of
the crisis to obtain more than what we strictly need, or to
acquire capabilities that are no longer valid.
As the document rightly points out, Defence is also a
safeguard that future crises can be more easily contained.
And it has a second important added value as a driving force
for employment, innovation and technological and industrial
competitiveness.
14 Revista Española de Defensa August 2020