Margarita Robles doesn't want you to do military service.

BarcelonaWhen Margarita Robles took over the Ministry of Defense in 2018, there was no ammunition—in her words—but seven years later, with the left-wing coalition government of the PSOE and Sumar, military spending rose for the first time in 2024, reaching 1.4% of GDP. And it has reached 2% in 2025, as the minister argued this Wednesday at a colloquium of the Círculo de Economía (Economy Circle) in Barcelona. "Investment in defense is here to stay," she made clear in her opening remarks—which began in Catalan—and explained that the Spanish government is working on a kind of industrial belt so that all autonomous communities can develop business projects in this area. Catalonia, too.

The minister believes the Principality "has enormous potential" and has committed to boosting innovation, especially in cybersecurity and new technologies. "It will undoubtedly be there," she reaffirmed, although she gave little detail about what this will mean: she didn't mention the amount of money that would arrive or the potential companies that could benefit.

The possibility of new investments raised eyebrows in the Círculo de Economía auditorium. She was heard in the front row by the Minister for the Presidency, Albert Dalmau, and the Minister for Business, Miquel Sàmper. But also by businesspeople. One of them—he presented himself as the visible head of a Catalan technology company—did not hesitate to raise his finger and make a request: "The ministry should help expedite the approval process [...]. We are a country of SMEs and we are a large company, and yet it is complex." He added: "In Catalonia we have innovation and talent, and the target must be set here so that we have this fabric of cybersecurity and defense."

But Robles has not only defended investment in defense because of the global and European context—which he described bluntly: "If the European Union is not capable of arming itself, also ethically, morally, and democratically, we will be reduced to the bare minimum"—but above all because he believes it is a way to create jobs.

Frigates and submarines

In the construction of a frigate or submarine, Robles sees thousands of jobs. "Ferrol was a place of unemployment, now it lives off investment in defense," she said, giving as an example a first frigate recently produced by Navantia that has generated "9,000 jobs." Or Cartagena, where a second submarine has been built, generating, according to the minister, 5,000 new employees.

In short, Margarita Robles, despite admitting that southern countries do not feel the same vulnerability as those in the north, has called for awareness of "reality"—that is, that Donald Trump's demands within the framework of NATO and the threat from Russia are serious.

Of course, always through a professional army. The Minister of Defense has ruled out at all costs the return of compulsory military service to Spain, despite the fact that in other northern and Baltic states has never disappeared"There is no debate here. There will be no military service in Spain," he bluntly responded to a question from the audience. For Robles, Spain has "professionalized" armed forces that are in demand everywhere, and he closes the door on ordinary citizens returning to military service.