In November 2021, Spain's chief of the armed forces confidently declared that Morocco did not pose a «threat» to his country's security. Nearly four years after those public statements, Admiral Calderón has changed his stance. Here's why. The Spanish military has recently formed a task force to «assess and propose responses to the risks posed by Morocco's activities, both inside and outside Spain», ABC wrote on Monday. This purely military initiative, led by the Chief of the Defense Staff, Admiral Teodoro Esteban López Calderón, began its mission «in recent days», Spanish military officials, who spoke anonymously to ABC, expressed «concern about the lack of response to Morocco's influence and intelligence-gathering actions in defense matters, which is causing deep worry». However, the creation of this task force has not been unanimously welcomed within the Spanish armed forces. The decision was made by the admiral without prior consultation with the head of government, Pedro Sanchez, leading some military personnel to label the move a «mistake», according to ABC. Trump's return raises concerns in Spanish military The National Security Department, which answers directly to the Prime Minister, already has a task force dedicated to Morocco, but its activities are currently on hold «due to a political decision», the same source notes. It's important to recall that the head of the National Security Department, General Loreto Gutiérrez Hurtado, previously stated that «Morocco does not pose a threat to Spain». «Currently, in our national security strategy, the Moroccan threat is not mentioned. We have task forces focused on Ceuta and Melilla, just like all other autonomous communities, because our job is to defend the state. For now, there's nothing specific on this matter», he affirmed in an article published on July 1, 2024. Admiral López Calderón also shared this perspective in November 2021. «Morocco does not constitute a threat to Ceuta and Melilla», he assured during a security conference in response to a question from a Vox deputy. Since then, however, Pedro Sanchez has expressed his support for Morocco's autonomy plan for Western Sahara, a former Spanish colony, calling it the «only solution for the settlement» of the issue. The formation of this new task force by the head of the armed forces comes three months after Donald Trump was inaugurated as U.S. President. His return to power has raised concerns among Spanish right-wing circles, who fear that the White House might support Moroccan claims over Ceuta and Melilla or move American military personnel and warships—currently stationed at the Rota naval base since 1953—to Morocco. Additionally, the Spanish military leadership was displeased when Pedro Sanchez's government invited them to quietly commemorate the 1925 Al Hoceima landing.
