Spain Could Double Amount Of Troops Abroad: Defence Minister

Spain Could Double Amount Of Troops Abroad: Defence Minister

(NSI News Source Info) December 11, 2008: Minister for Defence, Carme Chacón, said that the current 3,000 limit was now obsolete.

The Spanish Minister for Defence, Carme Chacón, has told Congress today that she is going to lift the current maximum number for Spanish troops serving abroad from 3,000 which she described as an obsolete limit. She said that the number could more than double to 7,700 from January 1 next year.

Speaking to the Defence Commission in Congress, Carme Chacón said that the new limit would be fixed only by parliament and the capacity of the armed services to respond.

She said the 7,700 limit she suggested could be met now, and allow Spain to be in two main scenarios, and four smaller ones.

She said the change was needed as the response to international conflicts today was ‘multilateral, integral and sustained over time. She gave the Balkans as an example where Spain has been present for 16 years, and only now is the end in sight.