Spain Eyes Morocco’s Military Buildup with Growing Concern

In the eyes of the Spanish media La Razon, Morocco has been engaged in "relentless" military modernization in recent years, devoting heavy investments to the acquisition of a number of military equipment and advanced technologies, including fast patrol boats, Apache combat helicopters and SpyX suicide drones... Believing that the ultimate goal of the kingdom is not "to catch up on the arms race with Algeria," presented as Rabat’s "eternal enemy," the publication argues that Madrid "should always be concerned, as a militarily strong Morocco could pose a threat to Spain." The latter is invited to play the card of vigilance, especially because of the unresolved disputes between Rabat and Madrid on the Spanish "sovereignty" over Ceuta, Melilla and the territorial waters off the Canary Islands.

Do the newspaper’s statements reflect reality? Morocco has focused on strengthening military capabilities to safeguard territorial integrity and also deal with regional security threats, in a context of tensions with Algeria and the deterioration of the security situation in the Sahel. The kingdom is widely seen as an important contributor to regional peace and security. Morocco has allocated $12 billion to its defense budget this year, compared to $21.6 billion for Algeria.