Articles

After what was nothing more than a hasty signing of the contract with SBB at the end of 1998, those of us who made up the now officially Leopard Program prepared to face 1999 in the best spirit. It was not easy, since we were forced to work with a company that, in the words of the Minister of Defense himself, and the Secretary of State, was bad and was not qualified to undertake the project. [Keep reading…]

With the Leopard 2A4 tanks donated by Germany, already in Spain in 1996, and the letters of commitment signed at ministerial level, it did not seem that any setback could arise for the program, and those involved in it prepared to approach the future with enthusiasm. . We did not imagine the problems that were going to appear, and the political change that occurred after the elections, far from making things easier, as could be expected, made them extraordinarily complicated. The double question to be resolved was what version of the Leopard 2 car was going to be manufactured? And who would be the manufacturer? [Keep reading…]

For nine years I was director of the Leopard 2 battle tank program for the Army, and as General Luis Alejandre - in June 2004, in his capacity as Chief of the Army Staff - told Minister Bono in front of For me, I burned my military career for the sake of an illusion, and with the conviction that I was doing what was necessary for the benefit of the Army, and therefore the national team as a whole, within the framework of its security and defense. [Keep reading…]

Military food rations are, surely, one of the elements that goes most unnoticed among scholars and fans of military and strategic studies. Beyond some specific references in general media or the famous unboxings of various YouTube channels, this crucial issue is rarely addressed. Much less in a rigorous and aseptic way, without philias or phobias. We are going to try to make known a fundamental facet due to its impact on logistics, health, performance and even the morale of the troops. [Keep reading…]

The future of the US Navy's supercarriers has been called into question after Defense Secretary Mark Esper said he was dissatisfied with the architecture and structure of the fleet planned for the future. In an operating environment in which these vessels will be more vulnerable, critics argue that the large financial expenditure on such large and expensive platforms is a waste of resources. [Keep reading…]

The War in Donbass began in 2014. Since then it has witnessed the use of the most modern technologies, such as electronic warfare by Russia or increasingly advanced drones on the Ukrainian side. At the same time, such ancient weapons, the Maxim M1910 machine guns, have been seen in operation. It's not a coincidence. In many aspects, the Ukrainian battlefields have kept interesting parallels with those of the Great War: Trenches, snipers, bunkers, sieges and the massive use of artillery have formed a conflict that is less modern than the term “hybrid war.” ” suggests. [Keep reading…]

Among the authors who place the origin of violent habits of behavior in the nature of man is Heraclitus with his declaration that war is the mother of all things; He turns some into gods, makes others slaves or free men. Almost all Greek authors, including Plato and his disciple Aristotle, accepted that slavery is the natural consequence of the military defeat of a people. [Keep reading…]

MANPADS systems (MAN-Portable Air Defense Systems) are, in short, portable missile equipment launched from the shoulder or from simple launchers, whose main characteristic is that they can be easily transported. [Keep reading…]

When on October 31, 2000 the hull of the F-101 “Álvaro de Bazán” touched the water for the first time. The Spanish Navy and Izar - the current Navantia - set their sights on the future, leaving behind one of the grayest periods in their history, even though in the collective imagination, the previous decades were exceptional for Spanish naval construction. Thus, with the launch of the first of our five F-100 frigates, Spain managed to take a technological leap forward that once again placed us at the forefront of naval technology. [Keep reading…]

Throughout the next few lines we will try to explain, in a brief and accessible way, the main lines of action of Turkish foreign policy, its motivations and its keys. To do this, we are going to follow an inductive procedure in which, through blocks, we will analyze the reasons that have led Turkey to embark on such disparate conflicts and what the future may hold. [Keep reading…]