interview
“Should there be a fresh outbreak
of COVID-19, we already have a contingency
plan in place to be able to act quickly
and efficiently”
the military personnel of recipient
countries have limited their activity at
the request of those countries (mainly
Afghanistan, Iraq and Mali) because
of COVID-19 and, consequently, we
have temporarily repatriated some
of our troops. This drawdown has
taken place in coordination with our
allies and host nations and, once the
necessary conditions are in place
again, we will resume our work. The
activity continues in perfectly normal
conditions in all the other operations,
always adopting the necessary
measures for the prevention of
COVID-19 infections.
I would like to point out that every
member of the Armed Forces involved
in operations abroad has to pass, before
being deployed, the health security
protocols established by our authorities
and they also have to comply with the
standards of the country of destination.
—Can the economic crisis undermine
the operational requirements of the
Army, Navy and Air Force?
—Clearly, the post-COVID-19
economic scenario is very serious and
it will have a significant impact on the
whole of society and in every sector.
It is also true that defence investments
represent investing in security, the
cornerstone for the development of
any society. To maintain our current
model of society, on top of healthcare,
education, justice and social services,
there must be an adequate level of
security to guarantee it.
Furthermore, defence investment
generates other benefits, such as the
return on technology and innovation,
job creation or the strengthening of
the Spanish industrial fabric, and it
eventually acts as a driving force of the
productive economy.
Our plans for operational requirements
are long-term and must have budgetary
stability to avoid jeopardising multi-year
investments already underway or the
maintenance of capabilities that would
take years to recover if now lost.
—You have already held your first
meetings with your EU and NATO
counterparts. How is the pandemic
being addressed in the allied field?
—This global crisis must have a
global response. Cooperation between
the members of the multinational
organizations of which Spain is a
member, such as the European Union
and NATO, is essential to deal with
any challenge. From the Military
Committees of both organizations
we have analysed the measures and
mechanisms for crisis response, the
possible medium-term effects and, of
course, the lessons learned to be better
prepared to cope with a potential new
health crisis. This pandemic is of a
transnational nature, it affects us all
and we have to overcome it by working
together and in a coordinated fashion.
—Will health crises be more
present in the future plans of the
Armed Forces?
— No doubt about it. We are living in
a globalized world with many advantages,
but at the same time with certain
drawbacks. We will all have to adapt,
and in the Armed Forces we are already
doing so, by constantly learning in order
to improve our operating procedures.
Different structures and capabilities must
be maintained to enable us to respond in
a flexible manner not only to health crises
but to any threat or challenge.
As far as our personnel is concerned,
our traditional military values
(discipline, courage, spirit of sacrifice,
vocation of service, etc.) have still been
found to be essential and provide us
with the necessary human capital to
face any challenge. We cannot give up
our military status and we will continue
to impart these values to our forces.
—Was this year’s Armed Forces
Day very different from previous
editions?
—Unfortunately, the situation in
Spain right now does not call for a
celebration. What we have done is to
spend May 30th just like any other
working day. And we have held a
videoconference in the Operations
Command presided by the King,
to highlight the dedication and
commitment of the men and women
deployed not only in Operation Balmis,
but in the rest of the missions in Spain
and abroad. Due to COVID-19, the
2020 Armed Forces Day has been
different, but at the same time special.
I hope this year’s slogan, together for
a better future, will guide our future
actions.
28 Revista Española de Defensa August 2020