Spain’s commitment to NATO was called into question this spring after the western European nation sought to be excluded from the international military alliance’s defense spending goals. Madrid has confirmed it would commit to the 32-nation coalition by spending 2.1 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP) on defense, but sought an exclusion from the 5 percent target called for by NATO leaders.

However, Spain, which joined NATO in 1982, has been active in other commitments, notably deploying its combat aircraft in the alliance’s air policing missions.

Last week, six Spanish Air and Space Force EF/A-18M Hornet fighters landed at Keflavik Air Base, Iceland, to take up NATO air policing duties for the first time from the island nation. It follows a previous air policing mission carried out by Spanish aircraft

© The National Interest