The CIA World Factbook Every edition, 2021 to 2025 Europe
Military - note Spain, in 5 editions.
The entry for Spain published Military - note in 5 editions of 36, from 2021 to 2025. The text changed in 4 editions. Each is shown as published. Military - note in every entry.
- editions changed the text
- 4
- the first edition with it
- 2021
- the latest edition with it
- 2025
Published as “Military - note” (2021 to 2025).
field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe edition shownChoose an edition on the strip beside the text, or step through them with the arrows. Mark changes compares it with the edition before: the marks are ours, words added and words removed.
2025 edition
Changed since 2024Spain joined NATO in 1982, but refrained from participating in the integrated military structure until 1996
the Spanish Marine Corps, established in 1537, is the oldest marine corps in the world
Spain joined NATO in 1982, but refrained from participating in the integrated military structure until 1996
the Spanish Marine Corps, established in 1537, is the oldest marine corps in the world
- Spain joined NATO in 1982 but refrained from participating in the integrated military structure until 1996;
- the Spanish Marine Corps, established in 1537, is the oldest marine corps in the world;
- the Spanish Army has an infantry regiment, formed in the 13th century, that is considered the oldest still active military unit in the western world
- Spain created a Spanish Legion for foreigners in 1920, but early on the Legion was primarily filled by native Spaniards due to difficulties in recruiting foreigners and most of its foreign members were from the Republic of Cuba;
- it was modeled after the French Foreign Legion and its purpose was to provide a corps of professional troops to fight in Spain's colonial campaigns in North Africa;
- in more recent years, it has been used in NATO peacekeeping deployments;
- today’s Legion includes a mix of native Spaniards and foreigners with Spanish residency (2022)
Rewritten: too little of the 2021 text remains to mark the changes.
Spain joined NATO in 1982 but refrained from participating in the integrated military structure until 1996; the Spanish Marine Corps, established in 1537, is the oldest marine corps in the world; the Spanish Army has an infantry regiment, formed in the 13th century, that is considered the oldest still active military unit in the western world
Spain created a Spanish Legion for foreigners in 1920, but early on the Legion was primarily filled by native Spaniards due to difficulties in recruiting foreigners and most of its foreign members were from the Republic of Cuba; it was modeled after the French Foreign Legion and its purpose was to provide a corps of professional troops to fight in Spain's colonial campaigns in North Africa; in more recent years, it has been used in NATO peacekeeping deployments; today’s Legion includes a mix of native Spaniards and foreigners with Spanish residency (2022)
- the Spanish Armed Forces are a modern and professional military with a wide variety of responsibilities, including protecting the country’s national interests, sovereignty, and territory, providing support during natural disasters, and fulfilling Spain’s responsibilities to European and international security;
- the military conducts operations worldwide, and its air, ground, and naval forces participate in a variety of EU-, NATO-, and UN-led missions;
- Spain joined NATO in 1982 and is fully integrated into the NATO structure;
- it routinely conducts exercises with EU and NATO partners, and hosts one of NATO’s two combined air operations centers
- the military is organized into commands for aerospace, cyberspace, joint, land, and maritime operations;
- it also has a separate Emergency Response Unit, a permanent joint service force designed to respond to catastrophes and emergencies in both domestic and overseas environments;
- the Army is the largest service and has two divisional headquarters with several subordinate brigades of mechanized infantry and one of paratroopers;
- there are also separate commands for air defense, artillery, aviation, mountain troops, and special operations forces, as well as for the garrison units in the Balearic Islands, the Canary Islands, Ceuta, and Melilla
- the basic structure of the Navy’s operational units includes surface and action forces, aviation and submarine flotillas, and a marine corps;
- the Surface Combat Force includes amphibious, mine warfare, surface warship, and escort squadrons and groups, while the Maritime Action Force is generally made up of units and assets whose main task is to conduct maritime security and surveillance operations in geographically based areas such as the Balearic and Canary islands, Cadiz, and Cartagena;
- the Navy’s principal warships include 11 frigates, four attack submarines, and three large helicopter-capable amphibious assault ships;
- it also has squadrons of multirole fighters and anti-submarine warfare aircraft;
- the 5,500-strong Marine Corps (aka Marine Infantry or Infantería de Armada) has amphibious, garrison, and special operations forces
- the Air Force is organized into an Air Combat Command, home to the air combat squadrons, a General Air Command, and a Canary Islands Air Command;
- it has approximately 400 aircraft, including about 170 modern European- and US-made fighters and multirole fighter aircraft;
- in addition to traditional military operations, the Air Force supports such missions as medical operations, delivering humanitarian aid, evacuations, search and rescue, firefighting, and surveillance
- the Spanish military has a rich history that goes back to the 13th century;
- the Army has an infantry regiment, formed in the 13th century, that is considered the oldest still active military unit in the Western world;
- the Marine Corps, which traces its roots back to 1537, is the oldest naval infantry force in the World;
- Spain created a Spanish Legion for foreigners in 1920, but early on the Legion was primarily filled by native Spaniards due to difficulties in recruiting foreigners, and most of its foreign members were from the Republic of Cuba;
- it was modeled after the French Foreign Legion and its purpose was to provide a corps of professional troops to fight in Spain's colonial campaigns in North Africa;
- in more recent years, it has been used in NATO peacekeeping deployments;
- today’s Legion includes a mix of native Spaniards and foreigners with Spanish residency (2023)
Rewritten: too little of the 2022 text remains to mark the changes.
the Spanish Armed Forces are a modern and professional military with a wide variety of responsibilities, including protecting the country’s national interests, sovereignty, and territory, providing support during natural disasters, and fulfilling Spain’s responsibilities to European and international security; the military conducts operations worldwide, and its air, ground, and naval forces participate in a variety of EU-, NATO-, and UN-led missions; Spain joined NATO in 1982 and is fully integrated into the NATO structure; it routinely conducts exercises with EU and NATO partners, and hosts one of NATO’s two combined air operations centers
the military is organized into commands for aerospace, cyberspace, joint, land, and maritime operations; it also has a separate Emergency Response Unit, a permanent joint service force designed to respond to catastrophes and emergencies in both domestic and overseas environments; the Army is the largest service and has two divisional headquarters with several subordinate brigades of mechanized infantry and one of paratroopers; there are also separate commands for air defense, artillery, aviation, mountain troops, and special operations forces, as well as for the garrison units in the Balearic Islands, the Canary Islands, Ceuta, and Melilla
the basic structure of the Navy’s operational units includes surface and action forces, aviation and submarine flotillas, and a marine corps; the Surface Combat Force includes amphibious, mine warfare, surface warship, and escort squadrons and groups, while the Maritime Action Force is generally made up of units and assets whose main task is to conduct maritime security and surveillance operations in geographically based areas such as the Balearic and Canary islands, Cadiz, and Cartagena; the Navy’s principal warships include 11 frigates, four attack submarines, and three large helicopter-capable amphibious assault ships; it also has squadrons of multirole fighters and anti-submarine warfare aircraft; the 5,500-strong Marine Corps (aka Marine Infantry or Infantería de Armada) has amphibious, garrison, and special operations forces
the Air Force is organized into an Air Combat Command, home to the air combat squadrons, a General Air Command, and a Canary Islands Air Command; it has approximately 400 aircraft, including about 170 modern European- and US-made fighters and multirole fighter aircraft; in addition to traditional military operations, the Air Force supports such missions as medical operations, delivering humanitarian aid, evacuations, search and rescue, firefighting, and surveillance
the Spanish military has a rich history that goes back to the 13th century; the Army has an infantry regiment, formed in the 13th century, that is considered the oldest still active military unit in the Western world; the Marine Corps, which traces its roots back to 1537, is the oldest naval infantry force in the World; Spain created a Spanish Legion for foreigners in 1920, but early on the Legion was primarily filled by native Spaniards due to difficulties in recruiting foreigners, and most of its foreign members were from the Republic of Cuba; it was modeled after the French Foreign Legion and its purpose was to provide a corps of professional troops to fight in Spain's colonial campaigns in North Africa; in more recent years, it has been used in NATO peacekeeping deployments; today’s Legion includes a mix of native Spaniards and foreigners with Spanish residency (2023)
- the Spanish Armed Forces have a wide variety of responsibilities, including protecting the country’s national interests, sovereignty, and territory, providing support during natural disasters, and fulfilling Spain’s responsibilities to European and international security;
- the military conducts operations worldwide, and its air, ground, and naval forces participate in a variety of EU-, NATO-, and UN-led missions;
- Spain joined NATO in 1982 and is fully integrated into the NATO structure;
- it routinely conducts exercises with EU and NATO partners, and hosts one of NATO’s two combined air operations centers
- the military is organized into commands for air, cyberspace, joint, land, maritime, and space operations;
- it maintains garrisons in the Balearic Islands, the Canary Islands, Ceuta, and Melilla
- the Spanish military has a rich history that goes back to the 13th century;
- the Army has an infantry regiment, formed in the 13th century, that is considered the oldest still active military unit in the Western world;
- the Marine Corps, which traces its roots back to 1537, is the oldest naval infantry force in the World;
- Spain created a Spanish Legion for foreigners in 1920, but early on the Legion was primarily filled by native Spaniards due to difficulties in recruiting foreigners, and most of its foreign members were from the Republic of Cuba;
- it was modeled after the French Foreign Legion and its purpose was to provide a corps of professional troops to fight in Spain's colonial campaigns in North Africa;
- in more recent years, it has been used in NATO peacekeeping deployments;
- today’s Legion includes a mix of native Spaniards and foreigners with Spanish residency (2024)
the Spanish Armed Forces are a modern and professional military with have a wide variety of responsibilities, including protecting the country’s national interests, sovereignty, and territory, providing support during natural disasters, and fulfilling Spain’s responsibilities to European and international security; the military conducts operations worldwide, and its air, ground, and naval forces participate in a variety of EU-, NATO-, and UN-led missions; Spain joined NATO in 1982 and is fully integrated into the NATO structure; it routinely conducts exercises with EU and NATO partners, and hosts one of NATO’s two combined air operations centers
the military is organized into commands for aerospace, air, cyberspace, joint, land, maritime, and maritime space operations; it also has a separate Emergency Response Unit, a permanent joint service force designed to respond to catastrophes and emergencies in both domestic and overseas environments; the Army is the largest service and has two divisional headquarters with several subordinate brigades of mechanized infantry and one of paratroopers; there are also separate commands for air defense, artillery, aviation, mountain troops, and special operations forces, as well as for the garrison units maintains garrisons in the Balearic Islands, the Canary Islands, Ceuta, and Melilla
the basic structure of the Navy’s operational units includes surface and action forces, aviation and submarine flotillas, and a marine corps; the Surface Combat Force includes amphibious, mine warfare, surface warship, and escort squadrons and groups, while the Maritime Action Force is generally made up of units and assets whose main task is to conduct maritime security and surveillance operations in geographically based areas such as the Balearic and Canary islands, Cadiz, and Cartagena; the Navy’s principal warships include 11 frigates, four attack submarines, and three large helicopter-capable amphibious assault ships; it also has squadrons of multirole fighters and anti-submarine warfare aircraft; the 5,500-strong Marine Corps (aka Marine Infantry or Infantería de Armada) has amphibious, garrison, and special operations forces Spanish military has a rich history that goes back to the 13th century; the Army has an infantry regiment, formed in the 13th century, that is considered the oldest still active military unit in the Western world; the Marine Corps, which traces its roots back to 1537, is the oldest naval infantry force in the World; Spain created a Spanish Legion for foreigners in 1920, but early on the Legion was primarily filled by native Spaniards due to difficulties in recruiting foreigners, and most of its foreign members were from the Republic of Cuba; it was modeled after the French Foreign Legion and its purpose was to provide a corps of professional troops to fight in Spain's colonial campaigns in North Africa; in more recent years, it has been used in NATO peacekeeping deployments; today’s Legion includes a mix of native Spaniards and foreigners with Spanish residency
the Air Force is organized into an Air Combat Command, home to the air combat squadrons, a General Air Command, and a Canary Islands Air Command; it has approximately 400 aircraft, including about 170 modern European- and US-made fighters and multirole fighter aircraft; in addition to traditional military operations, the Air Force supports such missions as medical operations, delivering humanitarian aid, evacuations, search and rescue, firefighting, and surveillance
the(2023) (2024)
- the Spanish military has a wide range of responsibilities, including protecting the country’s national interests, sovereignty, and territory, providing support during natural disasters, and fulfilling Spain’s responsibilities to European and international security;
- it maintains garrisons in the Balearic Islands, the Canary Islands, Ceuta, and Melilla, conducts operations worldwide, and participates in a variety of EU-, NATO-, and UN-led missions;
- Spain joined NATO in 1982 and is fully integrated into the NATO structure;
- it routinely conducts exercises with NATO (and EU) partners, and hosts one of NATO’s two combined air operations centers
- the Spanish military's history goes back to the 13th century;
- the Army has an infantry regiment, formed in the 13th century, that is considered the oldest still active military unit in the Western world;
- the Marine Corps, which traces its roots back to 1537, is the oldest naval infantry force in the world;
- Spain created a Spanish Legion for foreigners in 1920, but early on the Legion was primarily filled by native Spaniards due to difficulties in recruiting foreigners, and most of its foreign members were from the Republic of Cuba;
- it was modeled after the French Foreign Legion and its purpose was to provide a corps of professional troops to fight in Spain's colonial campaigns in North Africa;
- in more recent years, it has been used in NATO peacekeeping deployments;
- today’s Legion includes a mix of native Spaniards and foreigners with Spanish residency (2025)
the Spanish Armed Forces have military has a wide variety range of responsibilities, including protecting the country’s national interests, sovereignty, and territory, providing support during natural disasters, and fulfilling Spain’s responsibilities to European and international security; it maintains garrisons in the military Balearic Islands, the Canary Islands, Ceuta, and Melilla, conducts operations worldwide, and its air, ground, and naval forces participate participates in a variety of EU-, NATO-, and UN-led missions; Spain joined NATO in 1982 and is fully integrated into the NATO structure; it routinely conducts exercises with EU and NATO (and EU) partners, and hosts one of NATO’s two combined air operations centers
the military is organized into commands for air, cyberspace, joint, land, maritime, and space operations; it maintains garrisons in the Balearic Islands, the Canary Islands, Ceuta, and Melilla Spanish
themilitary has a rich military's history that goes back to the 13th century; the Army has an infantry regiment, formed in the 13th century, that is considered the oldest still active military unit in the Western world; the Marine Corps, which traces its roots back to 1537, is the oldest naval infantry force in the World; world; Spain created a Spanish Legion for foreigners in 1920, but early on the Legion was primarily filled by native Spaniards due to difficulties in recruiting foreigners, and most of its foreign members were from the Republic of Cuba; it was modeled after the French Foreign Legion and its purpose was to provide a corps of professional troops to fight in Spain's colonial campaigns in North Africa; in more recent years, it has been used in NATO peacekeeping deployments; today’s Legion includes a mix of native Spaniards and foreigners with Spanish residency (2024) (2025)
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Cite this page
Central Intelligence Agency. “Spain: Military - note.” The World Factbook, 2021–2025 editions. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/spain/military-note.