Spanish Navy
(Armada Espanola, AE; includes Marine Corps), Spanish Air Force
(Ejercito del Aire Espanola, EdA) (2006)

Military service age and obligation:
20 years of age (2004)

Manpower available for military service:
males age 20-49: 9,366,588
females age 20-49: 9,155,057 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:
males age 20-49: 7,623,356
females age 20-49: 7,434,465 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males age 18-49: 233,384
females age 20-49: 221,805 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$9,906.5 million (2003)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
1.2% (2003)

Transnational Issues Spain

Disputes - international:
in 2003, Gibraltar residents voted overwhelmingly by referendum to
remain a British colony and against a "total shared sovereignty"
arrangement while demanding participation in talks between the UK
and Spain; Spain disapproves of UK plans to grant Gibraltar greater
autonomy; Morocco protests Spain's control over the coastal enclaves
of Ceuta, Melilla, and the islands of Penon de Velez de la Gomera,
Penon de Alhucemas and Islas Chafarinas, and surrounding waters;
Morocco serves as the primary launching site of illegal migration
into Spain from North Africa; Portugal does not recognize Spanish
sovereignty over the territory of Olivenza based on a difference of
interpretation of the 1815 Congress of Vienna and the 1801 Treaty of
Badajoz

Illicit drugs:
key European gateway country and consumer for Latin American
cocaine and North African hashish entering the European market;
destination and minor transshipment point for Southwest Asian
heroin; money-laundering site for Colombian narcotics trafficking
organizations and organized crime

This page was last updated on 8 February, 2007

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@Spratly Islands

Background:
The Spratly Islands consist of more than 100 small islands or
reefs. They are surrounded by rich fishing grounds and potentially
by gas and oil deposits. They are claimed in their entirety by
China, Taiwan, and Vietnam, while portions are claimed by Malaysia
and the Philippines. About 45 islands are occupied by relatively
small numbers of military forces from China, Malaysia, the
Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam. Brunei has established a fishing
zone that overla