How the professional military career works in Spain

Automatic summary, not yet reviewed

1. The law regulates the regime of professional military personnel and, specifically, the military career: assignments, promotions and training of those serving in the Armed Forces. It also regulates the additional supply of human resources, that is, reservists.
2. There are three ways to join the Armed Forces: as a career military member (permanent relationship), as a troop and navy service member (temporary commitments, with the chance to become career) and as a complementary military member (an officer with a temporary commitment of up to eight years). Foreigners with legal residence can join the troop and navy category and, in the Military Health Corps in medicine, the complementary category.
3. The law sets 15 essential rules of military conduct, such as permanent readiness to defend Spain, the gradual and proportionate use of force, discipline and hierarchy, and the duty not to obey orders that are a crime. These rules will be developed in the Royal Ordinances and also apply to the Civil Guard where applicable.
4. The maximum number of professional military members on active service is set between 130,000 and 140,000, including at most 200 general officers and 1,050 colonels. The staffing levels for general officers, officers and non-commissioned officers are approved by the Council of Ministers for four-year periods.
5. To become an officer you must earn a university degree, and to become a non-commissioned officer, a higher-level vocational training degree. University degrees will be taught in university centers of the defense system, attached to public universities and located in the military academies.
6. Promotions are granted through four systems: selection, classification, competition or competition with examination, and seniority. Seniority is only used for the first promotion of officers and non-commissioned officers (captain and first sergeant); all other ranks require evaluations based on merit and ability.
7. Career military members move to the reserve status after set times in each rank and, in any case, at age 61 for officers and non-commissioned officers and 58 for troop and navy service members. In the reserve they keep active-service pay until age 63. Retirement comes at 65.
8. Volunteer reservists are kept: Spanish citizens who train and can be called up in crisis situations. A new figure of compulsory reservist is created, which can only be declared with the authorization of the Congress of Deputies, and recognizes the right to conscientious objection.

Who it affects

• Professional military members and those who want to join: training requirements, promotions, assignments and administrative situations affect them.: They must follow the rules of conduct and the new degree requirements.
• Troop and navy service members: they can become career military members through a long-term commitment.: Their commitments and career progression change.
• Spanish citizens: they can be volunteer reservists and, in declared crisis situations, compulsory reservists between ages 19 and 25.: They can be called up to join the Armed Forces.
• Civil Guard: its personnel regime will be adapted to this law and its members apply the military conduct rules where applicable.: Officer training will include a university degree.
• Military families: gender equality, work-life balance and protection against gender violence are strengthened.: For example, a female soldier who is a victim of gender violencegender violence Violence a woman suffers from a current or former partner because she is a woman. has preferential right to another assignment.

Words worth knowing

Militar de carrera (career military member)

A military member with a permanent service relationship with the Armed Forces, until retirement.

Militar de complemento (complementary military member)

An officer who signs temporary commitments, of up to eight years, to cover specific needs.

Situación de reserva (reserve status)

A status for career military members who leave active service years before retirement, with set pay.

Reservista voluntario (volunteer reservist)

A civilian who applies through a public call, receives military training and can be called up in crises or for specific missions.

Objeción de conciencia (conscientious objection)

A personal declaration that allows a compulsory reservist not to serve in activities requiring the use of weapons.

gender violence

Violence a woman suffers from a current or former partner because she is a woman.

It summarizes the law as published in the BOE. It is written by artificial intelligence and may contain mistakes: the official text is what counts. Read the official text · How we make summaries