Spanish participation in the international development and production of arms systems

Abstract

Today, Spanish participation in international arms projects has become an important, if controversial, aspect of its defense and economic policies. Yet, until very recently, Spain was completely absent from international arms development agreements. In an apparently sudden move Spain embraced the faith of international arms cooperation with the zeal of a late convert. In 1983, relatively soon after the Socialist victory in the general elections (October 1982), Spain joined the Independent European Programme Group (IEPG). This early sign of Spanish interest in joining multilateral arms development projects by participating in fora that were likely to play a role in this area was followed by very active participation in CNAD, the NATO body organizing transatlantic arms cooperation projects and, later, integration in the Western European Union. This participation in international bodies was no more than the institutional reflection of the defense industrial policy followed by the Spanish government. Spain soon joined several CNAD and IEPG development programmes. Spanish participation has been described as tous azimuths: Spain would enter any programme she could. In 1987, Juan Ruiz Montero, then Spanish General Director for Armament and Material, described the logic behind this policy: