The defense industry flexes its muscles in Madrid amid the rain of millions

MadridIn the midst of a flood of public funds and under the watchful eye of the State's trade relations with Israel, this is the context that this year marks the Spanish International Defense and Security Fair (FEINDEF), which will be held at the Ifema exhibition center in Madrid from this Monday to Wednesday, May 14.

The defense sector has taken advantage of the rush by European governments, including the Spanish one, to accelerate public defense spending and flex its muscles. And the numbers from the fair, the fourth edition held under the umbrella of the Feindef Foundation, created by the Ministry of Defense and various industry associations, speak for themselves of the fervent moment among companies that can benefit from this context: Ifema has allocated 10,003 square meters to two more, 66,000 square meters, and the organizers expect 35,000 professionals to attend.

The industry's anticipation for the fair's opening is a given, although this Monday it was offset by the Spanish government's role, at least in the media. Defense Minister Margarita Robles opened the event, but dodged a question mark. However, Robles didn't hesitate to meet with some of the sector's major players, including Indra, which is 28% owned by the state.

In fact, Pedro Sánchez's administration's interest is to position the company as the "champion" of defense in Spain. A long-standing desire that has also encompassed the company's management: this Monday, CEO José Vicente de los Mozos stated that they are already exploring "around twenty" companies with the goal of continuing to grow. One of the latest names to appear in the press is Iveco Defense Vehicles, the military vehicle subsidiary of the Italian group Iveco.

As anticipated by the Secretary of State for Defense, María Amparo Valcarce, neither the Israeli government nor Israeli defense companies will be present at this year's fair. This gesture is closely linked to the Spanish government's decision to stop agreeing to new contracts with the country following Israel's offensive in Gaza. However, despite this absence, some of the companies present at the fair, such as Grupo Oesía, have strong ties to Benjamin Netanyahu's country.

Public debate

However, the fair is coming at a time when Pedro Sánchez's announcement to reach 2% of GDP for defense by 2025 has not gone unnoticed by the public. This has generated disagreements with Sumar, the minority partner in the Spanish government, as well as with left-wing parties in the Congress of Deputies. However, expressions of rejection have also spread to the streets. This Monday, a protest was called outside the fair gates against the arms trade, with Israel's genocidal offensive against the Gaza Strip still unfolding. The mobilization, called by Desarma Madrid and Alternativa Antimilitarista-MOC, resulted in identifications and several arrests. In fact, for the first time, Tedae, the employers' association that represents the main companies in the sector, plans to publish, within the framework of the fair, a survey it conducted with the consulting firm GAD3 on public perceptions of public defense spending.