NATO and the Spanish Navy

Abstract

Almost everything that the Navy does in its professional field has been influenced by NATO. This influence can be seen in three areas: in empowering joint efforts; in coordination and joint action with the armed forces of our allies, which allows us to operate with them; and in the awareness of contributing to the security and defence not only of Spaniards but also of all of the world’s citizens who share our values. In order to get to where we are, decades of cooperation have been necessary. At first approaches were timid but later attempts were made to update procedures to facilitate the taking on of responsibilities and duties together with the allies. The influence of NATO on the Spanish Navy can be appreciated on three classic levels: tactical, operational and strategic. On the tactical level we share all on board procedures. On the operational level all activity is developed via Alliance procedures. With respect to the strategic level, the countries tend to have similar Command Structures. The organisation of the Navy, with a specific structure dedicated to force preparation, and another group dedicated to using those forces, also has its antecedents in the Alliance. The Alliance is preparing a new Strategic Concept, which will determine the way to interpret and carry out security and defence matters in Spain.