The army is making its way back to Europe, and more than a dozen countries have already created it, either on a mandatory or voluntary basis. The last country to join was France, which had just agreed to voluntary, paid military service for a period of 10 months, targeting young people between the ages of 18 and 19 years. Germany has done this before, with a one-year volunteer service and – A gross wage of 2,600 euros per monthIt is a measure very similar to that approved in Belgium, which offers its young people military benefits for a year with a salary of 2,000 euros.
Although the Ministry of Defense insists that “there will be no military service in Spain and no military service is expected,” those working in the Armed Forces stress that this is a measure that could be useful for the national defense in case of need. “It is not a way to supplement a professional army, but to create reserves in case of war Allow us to compensate for the inevitable losses of a professional army With people who have already received training. “It’s not about creating soldiers for today, it’s about having reserves for tomorrow, and that’s something Spain needs too,” says Reserve Admiral Juan Rodríguez Jarat.
“What Germany, Belgium and France are doing is creating these reserves by offering, incidentally, very high salaries to young men who want to do a year of military training and Committed throughout their entire operational life To maintain this training. In Spain, this debate has not yet arisen, but if it did, I would certainly support the creation of this voluntary military service.”
In Spain, we have a system of reservists, but they are not young soldiers who can be activated in large numbers to form units.
Salvador Sánchez Tapia, brigadier general of infantry in the reserve, does not see an urgent need for Spain to follow in the footsteps of France and Germany, but he believes it is an option that should be taken into account: “It does not seem to me to be a fundamental measure at the moment and I do not think it will solve the security problem that may exist in Europe, because what we need is They are large and professional armiesBut it can be useful to solve the problem of reservists, and they are also necessary. He added, “In Spain we have a system of reserve soldiers, but they are not young soldiers who can be recruited in large numbers to form units.”
Budget shortage in the army
However, Jarratt stresses that restoring military service, even voluntarily, will have a positive impact A huge cost to the public treasury: “The old compulsory military service was intended to create a large and cheap army, but it is a model that has failed in every case in which it has been tested. If we want a good defence, obviously we have to pay for it, and that has a cost to the state.”
“To make voluntary military service attractive, a competitive salary must be paid and this is a problem for Spanish soldiers They charge around 1,200 euros per monthmore or less the minimum wage among professionals. This has nothing to do with Germany, where they offer 2,500 euros per month. “Now that defense spending has increased, I think one of the first problems to be solved is to adjust the soldier’s wages so that he is not the worst-paid among public servants in Spain.”
Sánchez Tapia expresses himself in the same vein: “I, frankly, do not see that Spain can implement voluntary military service at the moment because if they do not pay it well, it will have no social demand. Paying well is something it does not deserve.” Not the order of the day in the Ministry of Defense. To create a well-made and useful volunteer military force, a good budget must be invested, because what we should not do is bring young men into the army to wear cheap uniforms and live in stables, as happened when compulsory military service existed. “It would be a waste of money and would be of no use.”
Voluntary military service must be well compensated, and if it is not, there will be no social demand.
The president of the Professional Association of Armed Forces Non-Commissioned Officers (ASFASPRO), Miquel Peñaroya, confirms this idea: “The ideal situation is to maintain a suitable professional army, but what happens is that the military profession is not attractive to anyone because our salaries are very meager, which has led to a staff shortage, as not all the required vacancies are filled. We have Recruitment problem In light of the current need, volunteer military service can help alleviate this problem, but I insist that the best solution is well-trained and motivated professionals.
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Peñaroya also points out that to achieve this group of reservists, there are other alternatives to the army: “As in the Anglo-Saxon countries, the Spanish system must have a logical Reserve employees who have instructions. This must be done by facilitating the departure of the army. In the United States there is no more than 20 years before entering the reserve, while in Spain we are 40 years.”
The law already provides for voluntary and compulsory reserve soldiers
The Constitution states that “the Spanish people have the right and the duty to defend Spain.” National Defense Law It is already considering the possibility of calling up volunteer reservists, or even compulsory young people aged between 19 and 25 in the event of a national emergency. However, Garratt says he is practically “the toast of the sun” due to lack of training: “None of those called up will be prepared and, therefore, will be of no use. If we really want to have a reserve that can supplement the armed forces in a high-intensity conflict, in war, we have to find a way to achieve this. Voluntary military service will allow us to solve the problem.”
Jarratt also emphasizes that this training for reservists will be useful in the event of natural disasters, such as DANA, as they can cooperate with the Military Emergency Unit (UME). “Civil defense is another topic that needs to be improved in Spain because it is surprising compared to other countries How unprepared we are in general Spaniards in terms of first aid or dealing with this type of disaster. “In Spain, there are very few public servants willing to do this, and it would be a great advantage to have a group of volunteer reservists,” says the Admiral, estimating the “number of trained reservists” who would be necessary at 40 or 50,000.
It’s about providing basic training within a few months and then refining their specialty, preparing them specifically for the type of procedures they will be carrying out.
Sánchez Tapia points out that this training for future recruits must be comprehensive and cover many topics, over a period of between 9 months and a year of instruction: “The soldier must have technical training; Learn how to handle and maintain weaponsvehicle handling etc., but you must also have tactical and moral training, since armies are the custodians of the nation’s weapons and it is a very serious responsibility. “These values must be transmitted.”
“It’s about giving them basic training in a few months and then refining their specialty and preparing them specifically for the type of operations they were going to carry out. This is training in weapons handling, tactics, understanding combat and rules of engagement, Concepts of international humanitarian law“First aid…there are many things you have to learn to become a soldier,” Jarratt emphasizes.