The Spanish government will increase the size of its armed forces by 14,000 personnel by 2035 as part of the country’s commitments to NATO, El Pais reports.
“Spain will increase its total number of military personnel by 14,000 by 2035 in accordance with the government’s commitments to NATO. Half of the increase, 7,000 military personnel, will occur between 2025 and 2029, and the remaining 7,000 between 2030 and 2034,” the publication states.
The publication noted that in recent years, the Spanish army has lost more than 10,000 military personnel, but at the same time, the scope of its tasks has increased significantly, from international missions to cyber defence and disaster relief.
Earlier, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said that increasing defence spending to 5% of GDP would require painful measures, including pension cuts or the cancellation of benefits.
