Spanish defence and security policy under Franco

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Published 24-11-2011
Ángel Viñas

Abstract

The Franco regime never developed a defence and security policy to deal with external threats but rather to contain the «domestic enemy». Franco did not wish to have a modern Army but obedient Armed Forces loyal under any circumstances.

After the Spanish Civil War there was an element of aggression towards France. Deployments in the field, however, tell a story far more meaningful than any conceptual prioritisations. Those deployments were clearly directed against the opponents of the dictatorship, whether they were armed or not. In this sense, the crucial security link with the United States was extremely helpful in enhancing the domestically-oriented deterrent. This notwithstanding, when Franco Spain was confronted for the first time with an external threat, i. e., Morocco over the territories of Ifni and Spanish Sahara the initial logistical and operational debacle was very serious and showed the limitations of a policy directed against the «enemy within».

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