Recently, several Eurofighter jets from the Spanish Air and Space Force conducted maneuvers over Ceuta, part of the Mixed Artillery Regiment Number 30 (RAMIX 30) exercises. This display sparked discomfort in Moroccan media, which interpreted it as a show of military strength near their borders. Meanwhile, both the governments of Morocco and Spain have refrained from making any official statements regarding the situation.
The exercise was a complete simulation without live fire, but the Rabat press viewed this maneuver as a demonstration of Spain's military capability. In 2025, Spain's military expenditure reached an unprecedented $40 billion (34 billion euros), according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). This expenditure is part of Spain's efforts to meet its NATO commitment of 2% of GDP, positioning Spain at 51st globally in terms of military spending relative to GDP.
In line with global trends, Morocco has increased its military spending from 3.44% to 3.54% of its GDP, now ranking as the 15th largest military spender in proportion to its economy. Although this increase may seem modest, it translates to significant absolute terms, with Morocco spending 5.4 billion euros on military purposes in 2025, compared to 4.7 billion euros in 2024. This represents a 14.9% increase, while Spain's military expenditure surged by 58%, rising from 21.5 billion euros in 2024 to 34 billion euros in 2025. Although Morocco's spending is still far behind Spain's, it remains substantial, making Rabat the second highest military spender in Africa, just behind Algeria.
Algeria's military expenditure is even more pronounced, as the country spent 8.83% of its GDP on military activities in 2025 amid ongoing tensions with Morocco. This marks Algeria's ascendance to the second highest military spending in the world, only trailing Ukraine (39.5%) and surpassing nations like Israel and Russia. In just one year, Algeria's military spending increased from 7.97% to 8.83% of GDP, adding over 3 billion euros to its military budget. Both Morocco and Algeria's military expenditures are largely driven by historical tensions between the two countries, particularly surrounding the disputed territory of Western Sahara, which escalated further in 2025, as noted by SIPRI.
In this context, North Africa has firmly established itself as a focal point of military rearmament in Africa, with both countries playing significant roles in international relations with Spain, especially Morocco due to its land borders with Ceuta and Melilla. Relations between these two nations have been tumultuous, particularly concerning waves of illegal immigration from Morocco to Spain, which the monarchy of Mohammed VI has been accused of using as a destabilizing factor.
Spain has not engaged in significant naval sales to Morocco for nearly 40 years, until recently when an agreement was reached for the construction of an offshore patrol vessel, the Avante 1800, by the public company Navantia for the Moroccan navy. The delivery of this vessel is anticipated around mid-2026, with the construction phase now complete and the vessel currently undergoing sea trials in Cádiz, where the company's shipyards are located.
Meanwhile, in 2025, Spanish exports to Morocco saw a remarkable increase of over 40% compared to 2024, according to the Ministry of Economy's Trade Secretariat, rising from 21 million to 29.6 million euros. This surge is predominantly attributed to categories classified as 'war weapons' and 'bombs, grenades, and torpedoes.'
As reported by elindependiente.com.
