More pressure for the sixth F-100 Frigate

[Gladius]

The president of the Xunta of Galicia (Galician Autonomic Government) Emilio Pérez Touriño, announced the Zapatero's firm commitment of approval of the contract for the sixth F-100 AEGIS frigate by the Spanish Government, after the meeting celebrated this week, in the Palace of the Moncloa (Madrid) with the Spanish President Rodriguez Zapatero.

The Xunta is pressuring the spanish Central Government to increase the workload in the galician shipyards of Navantia (I.E. the plants of Fene and Ferrol). The assignment of the sixth frigate Aegis of the series f-100 according with Touriño's declarations to the media would suppose an increment workload of 3,5 million hours of work for Navantia shipyards and would assure employment for 500 workers by the next few years.

This wouldn't be the first time in which the pressures of the Xunta of Galicia result in the approval of new assignments to the state owned shipyards. In the last 90s the pressures of the Xunta resulted in the contract of the second LPD of the Galicia class (L-52 Castilla) for the Spanish Navy, whose construction has not been contemplated initially in the naval plan approved on those moment (Plan Alta Mar).

Links to the articles:
La Voz de Galicia: http://www.lavozdegalicia.es/inicio/noticia.jsp?CAT=126&TEXTO=5523270
Galicia Diario.com: http://www.galiciadiario.com/web/notic.php?ide=8858

Photos of the meeting:

 

[contedicavour]

The president of the Xunta of Galicia (Galician Autonomic Government) Emilio Pérez Touriño, announced the Zapatero's firm commitment of approval of the contract for the sixth F-100 AEGIS frigate by the Spanish Government, after the meeting celebrated this week, in the Palace of the Moncloa (Madrid) with the Spanish President Rodriguez Zapatero.

The Xunta is pressuring the spanish Central Government to increase the workload in the galician shipyards of Navantia (I.E. the plants of Fene and Ferrol). The assignment of the sixth frigate Aegis of the series f-100 according with Touriño's declarations to the media would suppose an increment workload of 3,5 million hours of work for Navantia shipyards and would assure employment for 500 workers by the next few years.

This wouldn't be the first time in which the pressures of the Xunta of Galicia result in the approval of new assignments to the state owned shipyards. In the last 90s the pressures of the Xunta resulted in the contract of the second LPD of the Galicia class (L-52 Castilla) for the Spanish Navy, whose construction has not been contemplated initially in the naval plan approved on those moment (Plan Alta Mar).

Links to the articles:
La Voz de Galicia: http://www.lavozdegalicia.es/inicio/noticia.jsp?CAT=126&TEXTO=5523270
Galicia Diario.com: http://www.galiciadiario.com/web/notic.php?ide=8858

Photos of the meeting:

Lucky you !! Are all the modified Knox gone ? What would the FFG line-up look like then - 6 Aegis and 4 modernized Santa Maria ?

cheers

 

[santi]

Well, all Santa Maria class will be upgraded. Now 2 ships are in reserve (in fact, they will be the first pair upgraded), but the idea is, by 2009, when all of them are modernised, has the 6 ship operational (recruitment are now growing slowly ).
Then, 6+6 escorts.

Regards

 

[contedicavour]

Well, all Santa Maria class will be upgraded. Now 2 ships are in reserve (in fact, they will be the first pair upgraded), but the idea is, by 2009, when all of them are modernised, has the 6 ship operational (recruitment are now growing slowly ).
Then, 6+6 escorts.

Regards

I can't believe it, while everybody is crying in Europe Spain is improving numbers and quality of its ships, from 5 Knox and 6 OHP to 6 Aegis FFG and 6 modernized OHP. It will have 2 carriers (ok, one LHD and one CVL, still...) and I'm not even mentioning the amphib ships ...
I'm just so jealous

cheers

 

[santi]

Well, Spanish Armada is now in its best shape from decades, if not centuries (our last little “golden age” was over 1855-1865), but our submarine force has fell from 8 ships to 4 in the last 4 years or the MCM force is just 6 vessels strong (may be both are enough in the actual scene, but…).
In other hand, except for the Seahawks, the helo fleet is quite old up to the arrive of NH-90, not before 2010…

Regards

 

[ren0312]

Well, Spanish Armada is now in its best shape from decades, if not centuries (our last little “golden age” was over 1855-1865), but our submarine force has fell from 8 ships to 4 in the last 4 years or the MCM force is just 6 vessels strong (may be both are enough in the actual scene, but…).
In other hand, except for the Seahawks, the helo fleet is quite old up to the arrive of NH-90, not before 2010…

Regards

This may be unrelated, but are there any plans by the Spanish government to raise the defense budget to the informal NATO standard of 2 per cent of GDP? Seems to be that way based on your country's fleet rearmament, if Catolonia and the Basque were to become independent, what naval assets of the Spanish navy will they get anyway, I think that Spain should have stuck to a strong centralized government to prevent it from being Balkanized, but that is another topic altogether.

 

[Gladius]

This may be unrelated, but are there any plans by the Spanish government to raise the defense budget to the informal NATO standard of 2 per cent of GDP? Seems to be that way based on your country's fleet rearmament, if Catolonia and the Basque were to become independent, what naval assets of the Spanish navy will they get anyway, I think that Spain should have stuck to a strong centralized government to prevent it from being Balkanized, but that is another topic altogether.

Well, firstly our Defence Budget is very far from the 2% of the GDP, and of course, the Spanish Government don't have any intention to set a so high percentage level for our Defence Budget. According to the figures of 2007, our Budget is fixed this year on 8,049.99 million €, ~0.77% of our GDP. Elevating the spanish Defence Budget to two percent would be almost to treble it and that is very far from the spanish political reality.

But we must understand that the Spanish Defence Budget has gone from the 5,393.6 million €, nine years ago, to 8,049.99 million € of this year. That is, in nine years has been raised a 49.25%, no bad IMHO.

About Cataluña and the País Vasco (Catalonia & Basque Country). Spain is a decentralized country, certainly. I don't want to enter in the political question but I will say a few facts: A secession of Catalonia and the Basque Country is impossible in our constitutional framework. And to reform it is mandatory the agreement of the two National Parties that control the two Cameras (Congress and Senate) that is, the Spanish Socialist Party & Popular Party. And then is also mandatory a national referendum to approve any constitutional changes. With the data of the polls, a change pro-secessionist would never do well.
Finally we have the asleep dragon, the Eighth Article of the Spanish Constitution, that places explicitly to the spanish Armed Forces as the guarantors of the spanish territorial integrity and the Constitution. Playing with fire is dangerous, (see the issue caused last year with the speech made by the Commander in Chief of the Land Force of the Spanish Army, Lt. General Mena Aguado) better do not to touch the petards with a lighted torch in hand or maybe we end blowing-up the entire box.

 

[swerve]

Well, firstly our Defence Budget is very far from the 2% of the GDP, and of course, the Spanish Government don't have any intention to set a so high percentage level for our Defence Budget. According to the figures of 2007, our Budget is fixed this year on 8,049.99 million €, ~0.77% of our GDP. Elevating the spanish Defence Budget to two percent would be almost to treble it and that is very far from the spanish political reality.

There's a difference between defence budget according to national definition & defence spending, according to NATO definition. Spain has much higher NATO-definition spending than national budget - and the NATO 2% target is for NATO-definition spending.

2005 -
Spain 1.2% GDP
IIRC, Spains budget that year showed well under 1%.

Some other NATO members count less than the NATO standard, e.g. France (slightly) & Italy (a lot less, like Spain). A few count more, including costs which aren't in the NATO definition. Some use the NATO definition in their national budgeting.

 

[Gladius]

Yes, swerve. But unfortunately our government (and many others) don't publish the official figures of the Defense Budget under NATO definition.

Without any official "spanish" source, we would have to dive in the massive data of the General State Budgets and recover all separate figures, and that is almost impossible for us with our limited time. Or trust blindly in the NATO "public" communiques which if you compare some figures with the "real and hard data" of some countries, you find them plagued with inaccuracies.

The last NATO-Russia compendium of data related with Defence spending (Dec 18, 2006):

http://www.nato.int/docu/pr/2006/p06-159.pdf


And we are going off-topic... again.

 

[contedicavour]

There are often defence related spendings hidden in other ministries' budgets, such as industry and civilian protection in Italy. Luckily enough, or otherwise the situation would be tragic ...

cheers

 

[European]

Yep,
Italy planned for FY 2007 the 0,95% of GDP for armed forces that are divided in 72% to pay salaries (210000 people) and 28% for new equipment, training, maintenance and others


Sounds strange to me that Spain spent 2% of GDP.
For that I know Spain spents around 1% of GDP in 50-60% for salaries (150000 people).

ContediCavour,
I'm trying to send u PM, but I'm not able to do.
Could u contact me?
Thanks.

 

[swerve]

Yep,
..
Sounds strange to me that Spain spent 2% of GDP.
For that I know Spain spents around 1% of GDP in 50-60% for salaries (150000 people).
....

1.2% according to NATO. Less according to national definition.

 

[Turk]

Is spain wants to 5th and 6th F100 Frigates ?

 

[Gladius]

Is spain wants to 5th and 6th F100 Frigates ?

Turk, the Spanish Navy wants the sixth F-100 since some years ago.

The contract with Navantia for the construction of the Fifth F-100 frigate was aproved and signed in 2006.

 

[Turk]

So what about 6th frigate ?