Security and Defence Policy

The focus of Spain’s security and defence policy evolved from the national to the international stage after the country’s transition to democracy, when Spain joined a number of multilateral security organizations and Spanish troops contributed to international post-Cold War missions. The enlargement of the concept of security incorporated new actors and dimensions into a defence policy that became one of ‘security and defence’ and later a policy of ‘national security’. The changes have transformed the scope of the security and defence policy and the dispositions of the armed forces, but their adaptation to the changing strategic context is conditioned by structural factors such as the strategic culture, military spending, and the defence sector’s industrial and technological base. These factors are essential to understanding change and continuity in the security and defence policy of Spain.