The government is committed to innovation in the defense industry as a “revulsive” for the Spanish economy

The Spanish defense industrial strategy, he defended, is “totally aligned and coherent” with that of the European Union. The idea, declared the Secretary of State on this subject, is to promote a “powerful”, “highly competitive”, “sustainable” and “technologically cutting-edge” national defense industry, with the aim of have “sufficient strategic autonomy”. .

Valcarce, who began his speech by thanking Vocento for organizing what he described as a “pioneer” forum in the sector and which has allowed us to “focus on the Spanish defense industry as a strategic pillar of the European Union”, he cited the commitment to knowledge and innovation as drivers of employment and development, and the strengthening of territorial cohesion as the two fundamental premises around which the Spanish government structures the reindustrialization of the country.

Concerning the first, the Secretary of State for Defense underlined the “essential” investment in R&D&I (area in whichIn 2022, more than 1.1 billion euros have already been allocated, an amount equivalent to 12.2 percent of the total Spanish investment in R&D&I), the “disruptive and dual” nature of the technologies in which it is invested and public-private initiatives.

The defense industry is, according to him, “the engine of innovation”. In addition to “the added value of national defense”, it mainly contributes to “providing our armed forces with the necessary military capabilities”. And in a time of profound change and challenges such as the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, innovation and technological transformation have become “fundamental pillars” when it comes to maintaining the competitiveness and leadership of the Defense industry.

Valcarce is also committed to territorial cohesion from Spain. According to him, taking advantage of the industrial and technological base of Defense to produce “the necessary capabilities, in the necessary quantities, within the deadlines that our Armed Forces need” is only possible “by offering opportunities to all of the country and the industry to be present in all autonomous communities.

The Defense sector, he continued, is “innovative, prosperous and represents great added value for our economy”. This is why “on the part of the Executive, we must have a particular sensitivity to contribute to the strengthening of the Spanish industrial fabric and we do this, working intensely in the major corridors of the Defense industry“. Among them, he mentioned the Northern Corridor (Basque Country-Galicia), the Southern Corridor (Seville-Cádiz and Seville-Jaén), the Central-Mediterranean Corridor (Madrid-Cartagena), the North-South Corridor (Asturias-Cádiz) . .

Military intelligence

Acorde, sponsor of the ABC forum, operates precisely in the Northern Corridor. This Spanish company dedicated to the design and manufacturing of materials for the defense, space and telecommunications sectors, headquartered in Santander, has been a leader in innovation and talent attraction for 25 years. The two axes around which much of yesterday’s debate revolved, which also included the participation of Manuel LobeiraCEO of the Cantabrian company.

Lobeira, who shared a round table with Lieutenant Colonel Alberto de Diego Álvarez, head of the Cyberspace Command Operations Technical Support Group, and the intelligence analyst Fernando Cochospoke about digital transformation and modernization in the armed forces. “Military intelligence carries out critical work to detect technological threats from companies and industries that are not known to the public” and which, in the opinion of the director of Acorde, constitute the most dangerous. Among them, Cocho highlighted, is disinformation, which he considers “the new weapon of the future”, even if he recognizes that there is currently a return to “trench warfare”.

Lieutenant Colonel De Diego, for his part, spoke of the jump towards artificial intelligence (AI) which is being implemented “right now in all sectors of society”, particularly following the democratization of ChatGPT just a few years ago. “Organizations are embracing this use of AI because of the benefits it brings us. They improve productivity, even reduce costs and make us more efficient. We also see it in the armed forces,” he explained. For example, in Ukraine, it is a “real testing laboratory for how to use AI for military purposes” .

However, he emphasized in the same sense as Lobeira, “we must be able to monitor it to know at any time what the AI ​​is doing. Additionally, there must always be someone who is ultimately responsible for their actions,” because sometimes they have “prejudices and failures.”

The second round table of the ABC Innovation and Defense Forum brought together, under the title “Talents and new generations; shaping the future of Defense”, to four other professionals on the importance of training and developing talent in the fields of telecommunications and engineering to meet the needs of the military industry. It was also discussed how new generations They can contribute to national security, something that Secretary of State for Defense María Amparo Valcarce also referred to in her opening speech at the forum.

José Bayon He was responsible for breaking the ice. The director of the School of Industrial Organization (Expression of interest), the first business school in Spain and academic partner of the forum, first reflected on the type of talents needed in a sector as “critical and fundamental” as Defense. “Prepared profiles with management, adaptation and leadership skills” are necessary. A quality that he describes as “essential” in the Army, but also in industry and society. However, underlined the Director General of the EOI, “it is not necessary to retain people, you must have the best”.

The g knows the training of Spanish soldiers wellGeneral Juan Manuel Sánchez AldaoDeputy Director General of Military Education, who defended, according to him, the “adequacy” of the military education system when it comes to attracting talent and encouraging them to produce innovation: “ It’s practical. We educate in initiative and in the field of indefinition so that they are confronted with crisis situations. It encourages creativity,” he added.

He Vice Admiral Javier Roca Rivero He joined General Sánchez Aldao on the need to look for leaders in this digital age, but he went further by emphasizing the need to train new talents “first as people and then as professionals.” “We are not in the era of change, but in a change of era,” believes this commander of Cyberspace Command, and “even if it may seem paradoxical, it is not about technology but about leadership and people, who are the ones who make the difference.” “.

The female vision of the day was provided by the fourth participant, the head of the CIS air and naval zone of Isdefe. Andrea Iglesias. The engineer posed a double challenge that the military and defense industry faces today: attracting talent – ​​“bringing engineers” – and getting them to join the “defense ship”. And to this end, she highlighted the importance of awareness programs in schools and having role models from a young age, such as, for example, Princess Leonor of La Armada for many young women.