Articles by Roberto Gutiérrez

The oldest Marine Corps in the world still has a mission to perform, but it will not be able to survive in a time of sharp budget reductions if it does not adapt its size and operating procedures to the real possibilities of the Navy and the Ministry of Defense. To achieve this, it is necessary to abandon the current structure by functions, value the Army's contribution to the joint effort and limit the responsibilities of the amphibious force to functions that represent added value. [Keep reading…]

The current Chief of Staff, Francisco Javier Varela Salas, faced with the prospect of continuing to lead the Army, has announced a significant change in the organization of the institution he represents and which, furthermore, far from the 2035 program, will be executed immediately ( over the next 24 months). [Keep reading…]

A war between Spain and Morocco seems unthinkable today, given that both states are important trading partners and have common allies such as France or the United States. However, any change in Moroccan internal politics or in the international arena could precipitate a confrontation that goes beyond the diplomatic arena, as there are important frictions on key issues such as territorial waters or sovereignty over Ceuta and Melilla. Is Spain still in a position to defend these cities and the rest of the North African territories or, on the contrary, has the Moroccan rearmament program definitively tipped the balance towards Rabat? [Keep reading…]

As Ovid (43 BC) tells us in his Metamorphoses, the desire of Icarus, the first flying man in Greek mythology, to go beyond his possibilities was what brought him disaster. In the same way, our ministry, blinded by the industrial impact of the lavish special arms programs (PEA), has mortgaged the FAS with a debt of more than 30.000 million euros, condemning it to helplessness in terms of current expenses and limiting future investments at ridiculous levels. [Keep reading…]

“The infantry is the main weapon of combat, and to its advantage, therefore, all the others must act.” This is how the infantry was defined in the 1983 weapons use doctrine, and not all the technological changes or doctrines designed throughout... [Keep reading…]

The future of the Spanish Navy is at risk. However, the strategic need to have an effective navy is beyond doubt for a country with the geographical characteristics of Spain. Likewise, the obligation to safeguard the nation's last and most influential economic and industrial asset in the defense sector, shipbuilding, is also a fact. Unfortunately, the budgetary situation - and its foreseeable evolution - requires a deeply realistic examination in order to save what is possible. (Continue…) Dear reader, this article is exclusively for paying users. If you want to access the full text, you can subscribe to Ejercitos Magazine taking advantage of our offer for new subscribers through the following link.

Recently, the Army has announced a study of what the brigades of the future will be like. With the acronym 'Briex 2035', it aims to modernize the Army brigades under the slogan of making them an integral combat unit, that is, one that acts as a whole and in all areas of combat. This concept implies that the brigade is treated as a weapons system, which to be operational must include each and every one of the elements and subsystems that make it up. [Keep reading…]

In the coming decades, our Armed Forces will have to face a much more severe rationalization process than the one that has been carried out until now. The decrease in the number and type of platforms, each of them having to serve an increasing number of missions, will be especially relevant in the case of the helicopter park. The ability of our Armed Forces to continue fulfilling their mission will largely depend on the decision and intelligence with which these changes are faced. (Continue…) Dear reader, this article is exclusively for paying users. If you want to access the full text, you can subscribe to Ejercitos Magazine taking advantage of our offer for new subscribers through the following link.

The cars currently in service were designed in the 1980s; The fall of the USSR and the well-known peace dividends paralyzed any further development; the need for this powerful weapons system was even questioned for more than a decade given the conflicts in which the West was involved. [Keep reading…]