Spain | Big Data and AI to analyze defense policy. July 2026

Summary

Following the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, defense has become key in Europe. BBVA Research has developed a high-frequency indicator based on Council of Ministers agreements to track Spanish defense spending. Data shows a significant rise since 2022, reflecting a clear modernization of national defense capabilities.

Key points

• Key points:
• Defense has taken on unprecedented importance in Europe following the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, increased spending commitments by NATO countries, and new European Union initiatives to strengthen military and industrial capabilities.
• BBVA Research has developed a high-frequency indicator based on agreements to defense spending made during Council of Ministers meetings, complementing standard budgetary statistics. While the latter provides an aggregate view of expenditure, the new indicator allows for the rapid identification of government decisions and the specific capabilities targeted by investment efforts.
• Results show a significant rise in references to military spending since 2022 across a wide range of areas (such as weapons systems, air capabilities, infrastructure, and cyber defense) pointing to a broad and diversified modernization of Spain's defense capabilities.

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