Defense mobilizes 4.3 billion
The Ministry of Defense has published a report explaining that, with the military projects planned for this year, Spain will reach a total of 95 ongoing programs, representing the largest modernization effort ever undertaken by our Armed Forces.
Defense Minister Margarita Robles, alongside a drone
The Ministry of Defense is boasting that Spain is the seventh largest NATO country in terms of total defense spending and the third country that has increased its investment the most in 2024 and 2025. Currently, the Ministry manages 79 programs, 35 of which are Special Modernization Programs (PEM) promoted through the 2025 Plan. But the Government promises that this portfolio of projects «will continue to grow in the coming years.»
By 2026, the ministry headed by Margarita Robles explains that it will launch 15 new PEMs, along with the National LEO Capacity program, which is planned for 2027. The latter is the multi-orbit SATCOM PEM, announced by Sánchez last May, and will materialize through an estimated investment of between 1.6 and 2 billion euros, intended to finance Spain's contribution to the IRIS² program, the new satellite internet network and secure communications infrastructure of the European Union.
Furthermore, the 15 new Strategic Military Programs (PEM) for this year will collectively promote the development of «cross-cutting capabilities in the areas of communications, cybersecurity, intelligence, and electronic warfare through the use of new technologies, data exploitation, and artificial intelligence.» To this end, they include the «development and acquisition of communications, cryptographic, and cybersecurity systems; intelligence gathering, analysis, and exploitation systems; and advanced planning and simulation systems.»
The modernization of command, control, and communications systems for the Army, Navy, and Military Emergency Unit (UME) will also be included, along with improvements to positioning and navigation capabilities. Furthermore, to address the challenges of offensive artificial intelligence, national capabilities will be strengthened through the development of detection and protection systems for critical infrastructure and the responsible use of AI to anticipate, identify, and mitigate threats.
The 35 current PEMs constitute a combined spending ceiling of 34 billion euros until 2042. With regard to the financing of these programs and in accordance with the provisions of the eight Royal Decrees of the Ministry of Industry granting pre-financing, 2,318.80 million will be pre-financed in 2026, in addition to the 4,500 million of 2025.
«The results obtained reflect the scale of this effort. More than 840 companies are already participating in the Industrial Participation Plans associated with the modernization programs. This is an extraordinarily diverse ecosystem in which large leading companies, highly specialized small and medium-sized enterprises, technology centers, universities, and suppliers that are part of supply chains distributed throughout the country coexist,» the Ministry explained.
Furthermore, the Ministry of Defense has reported that, according to the information and data collected in the industrial participation plans received, the estimated average annual job creation for all 35 PEM programs in the 2025 Plan is 22,073 jobs, and the estimated total job creation over the duration of the 35 programs is 155,436 jobs.
«The average nationalization rate today stands at 73%, with the target being 80% for Spain and 90% for Europe. But perhaps one of the most relevant aspects is the unifying capacity of this investment policy. Modernization programs do not concentrate their effects in a few industrial hubs but rather generate economic activity in practically all the autonomous communities. The incorporation of new industrial corridors, the expansion of the supplier network, and the development of capabilities in emerging sectors allow for the distribution of growth opportunities throughout the country, strengthening regional industrial ecosystems and fostering greater economic cohesion,» the Ministry concluded.