The year 2022 will be forever marked by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. An aggression, in the words of Felipe VI during his Military Easter speech, "unjustifiable, illegal and brutal" that returned the times of war to Europe. A war that has put "European security at risk", as the King assured this Friday before the military leadership, and that has made evident "the importance" of investing in Defense to achieve more modern, effective and efficient Armed Forces. viable.
The king, who has made a specific allusion to the chapter of the General State Budgets that includes the "significant" increase in military spending, has indicated that now the challenge is to provide the armies and the Navy with the necessary resources to guarantee training "of the highest quality", "sufficient and technologically advanced" military capabilities and "flexible and adequate" operations.
The President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, promised during the NATO summit in Madrid to raise military spending to 2% of GDP in 2029. After that, the Defense budget for that year, which was approved good of the Congress last month, amounts to 12,825 million euros, which represents an increase of 25.8% compared to the previous year, and situates it at 1.2% of GDP.
The war in Ukraine has been the backbone of Felipe VI's speech on his ninth time as President of Military Easter. "This war, far from undermining unity and causing fissures among all of us who defend democratic values, what it has achieved is reinforcing our cohesion and presenting a common front to the invasion of Ukraine," said Felipe VI, in an Army uniform. of Air and Space.
In his speech, which traditionally takes stock of the previous year and outlines the military guidelines for the new one, the monarch recognized the work of the military who carry out their duties in Spain and those who participate in international missions, both within the framework of the UN and NATO.
The King took advantage of the occasion to recall the NATO summit held last June in Madrid, where the new strategic concept that will guide the Atlantic Alliance in the coming years was established.
The Defense Minister, Margarita Robles, who preceded Felipe VI in speaking, has also focused her intervention on the war in Ukraine and the increase in defense spending. She has said of the aggression against Ukraine that it is "a war against Europe, against the values that democracy represents, against human rights and against the peaceful coexistence between nations." And the "only" person responsible for it is Russian President Putin.
The Military Easter ceremony that the Royal Palace of Madrid hosted this Friday has once again regained its shine after two years in which the coronavirus pandemic forced a reduction in the guest list. The celebration, which begins the military year, began at noon with a military parade in the Plaza de la Armería, after the arrival of King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia.
If the last edition was marked by gratitude to the soldiers who participated in the evacuation of Afghans when the country was taken over by the Taliban and the uniformed soldiers who worked diligently to help the victims of the La Palma volcano, the This 2023 ceremony is marked by the war in Ukraine and Spain's commitment to NATO to raise the defense budget.
