The Spanish Navy and international commercial security

The Spanish Navy is one of the three branches of the Spanish Armed Forces and its mission is to protect and defend national and international maritime spaces, together with its partners and allies. Due to its capacity, experience, legal powers, and knowledge maritime environment, the Spanish Navy is a key player in guaranteeing freedom of navigation and providing security to maritime areas of interest, especially the protection of trade and its importance both nationally and internationally.

In today's globalized world, countries are highly dependent on maritime spaces, through which international trade, one of the major drivers of the Economics , circulates. Suffice it to say that more than 80% of global commercial traffic moves by sea. In Europe, around 40% of GDP comes from coastal regions, where approximately 40% of the population lives. At the same time, almost 90% of the European Union's foreign trade is carried out by maritime transport. Every year, European ports handle around 3.5 billion tons of goods and 350 million passengers. In Spain, 82% of imported goods pass through national ports and more than 59% of Spanish exports are transported by sea, making a significant contribution to the Economics .

The sea is therefore an indispensable element for the development and social development of every country. However, the modern maritime economy faces a series of threats that naval forces must address: climate change, economic warfare, covert fleet operations, the vulnerability of critical infrastructure, and illicit activities such as piracy and illegal fishing. All of these have once again made the protection of maritime waters a primary function for navies, as part of the new strategic context in which maritime power is developing.

The Navy and maritime trade

This protection begins with the defense of national territory, especially coastal areas, where ports, energy terminals, and strategic submarine networks are concentrated, although, as we shall see, it is not solely responsible for carrying out these tasks. To this must be added the protection of maritime transport in distant waters. Initially, it can be deduced that the essential purpose of all the world's navies is to guarantee the use of the sea for the benefit of the interests of the state or organization they serve, and the Navy is no exception.

The Navy plays a fundamental role in maintaining order and security in territorial and international waters. Its mission statement to the supervision and regulation of maritime traffic, a vital task for ensuring the safety of maritime trade routes.

One of the Navy's most frequent duties is surveillance and patrol. Naval units, especially Maritime Action Ships (BAM), carry out scheduled patrols with the goal detecting illegal activities and ensuring compliance with laws and regulations, particularly in port areas and areas where the state's interests, especially economic interests, are threatened.

Navy media

The Navy relies primarily on radar and satellite systems to monitor maritime traffic in real time. To this end, it has the Maritime Action Operations and Surveillance Center (COVAM), based in Cartagena, which is the operational center of the Maritime Action Force, where all information relating to maritime areas of interest is gathered and analyzed in order to maintain knowledge and up-to-date knowledge of the status these areas. COVAM also has command and control systems that allow for the effective coordination of maritime security operations, both nationally and internationally.

In order to integrate information from various sources, COVAM has the Integrated Maritime knowledge Surveillance and knowledge System (SUVICEMAR). This system collects and processes data various national and international authorities and agencies, both civil and military, responsible for maritime management , port supervision, fisheries control, rescue, and defense. Among its capabilities, SUVICEMAR allows for the automatic analysis of the behavior of domestic and foreign vessels transiting through areas of interest, in order to detect anomalous behavior and take action.

The Navy also carries out deterrence actions with the strategic deployment of naval units aimed at preventing illegal acts such as piracy, maritime terrorism, or threats to freedom of navigation on major maritime routes.

It is also responsible for protecting commercial vessels, especially in high-risk or conflict maritime areas. An example of this task is the recent two-month deployment of the patrol boat Vigía under the direction of the Maritime Operational Command. Through this deployment, the Vigía carries out surveillance and naval presence operations in the waters of the Atlantic, the western Mediterranean, and the Alboran Sea. These actions allow for constant situational awareness of the maritime environment, while reinforcing security and freedom of navigation in areas of national sovereignty and areas of special strategic interest, such as the rocks of North Africa, the Chafarinas Islands, the Bay of Algeciras, and other points along the southern Spanish coast, including the Gulf of Cádiz, Málaga, Ceuta, and Melilla.

Collaborations with other organizations

The Navy also collaborates and has agreements with various agencies with jurisdiction over maritime security to ensure the greatest effectiveness of these operations. The Navy works together with the Deputy Directorate of Customs Surveillance and with the State Security Forces and Corps in the seizure of drug shipments from the other side of the Atlantic bound for Spain. It also participates, together with the Civil Guard and other agencies, in control measures to prevent the activity of mafias involved in the illegal trafficking of immigrants by sea to Spain.

Internationally, the Navy actively cooperates with various European Union agencies, such as FRONTEX, through the use of surveillance resources. In addition, in order to strengthen regional maritime security, it maintains solid partnership agreements partnership the navies of Portugal and France. Within NATO, the Navy also participates in Operation Sea Guardian, a maritime mission statement in the Mediterranean that was launched in 2016.

On the other hand, the serious threat posed by piracy to international maritime traffic in parts of Southeast Asia, the Gulf of Guinea, and the Indian Ocean has led the world's navies to become deeply involved in the fight against this phenomenon. Thus, the Navy participates permanently in the European Union's Operation Atalanta in the waters of the Horn of Africa and the Indian Ocean.

Relevance

final, the Navy plays a fundamental role in protecting international trade and national and international waters. In a globalized world that is deeply dependent on the seas, its work is of vital interest to the international community, ensuring maritime security and contributing to the well-being of the nation. The importance of its work has become increasingly relevant in recent decades, as international stability at sea has progressively deteriorated with the emergence of new state and non-state threats.