| Military branches | Spanish Armed Forces: Army (Ejercito de Tierra), Spanish Navy (Armada Espanola, AE, includes Marine Corps), Spanish Air Force (Ejercito del Aire Espanola, EdA); Civil Guard (Guardia Civil) (2021) note: the Civil Guard is a military force with police duties (including coast guard) under both the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of the Interior; it also responds to the needs of the Ministry of Finance |
| Military service age and obligation | 18-26 years of age for voluntary military service by a Spanish citizen or legal immigrant, 2-3 year obligation; women allowed to serve in all SAF branches, including combat units; no conscription (abolished 2001), but Spanish Government retains right to mobilize citizens 19-25 years of age in a national emergency (2019) |
| Military expenditures - percent of GDP | 1.17% of GDP (2020 est.) 0.91% of GDP (2019) 0.93% of GDP (2018) 0.91% of GDP (2017) 0.81% of GDP (2016) |
| Military and security service personnel strengths | the Spanish Armed Forces have approximately 120,000 active duty troops (75,000 Army; 25,000 Navy, inc about 5,000 marines; 20,000 Air Force); 80,000 Guardia Civil (2021) |
| Military equipment inventories and acquisitions | the inventory of the Spanish military is comprised of domestically-produced and imported Western weapons systems; France, Germany, and the US are the leading suppliers of military hardware since 2010; Spain's defense industry manufactures land, air, and sea weapons systems and is integrated within the European defense-industrial sector (2020) |
| Military deployments | approximately 200 Iraq (training mission, counter-ISIS coalition); 350 Latvia (NATO); 625 Lebanon (UNIFIL); approximately 400 Mali (EUTM); 150 Turkey (NATO) (2021) |
| Military - note | Spain joined NATO in 1982, but refrained from participating in the integrated military structure until 1996 |
Source: CIA World Factbook
This page was last updated on September 18, 2021
