The Diplomat
A Ministry of Defence document warns of the difficulties that the Armed Forces may encounter in the next decade in recruiting new military personnel, as well as in retaining them due to competition with the civilian labour market.
The report ‘Entorno Operativo 2035’, written by CESEDEN and prefaced by the Chief of Defence Staff himself, Admiral General Teodoro López Calderón, analyses the context in which the Armed Forces will have to operate in the year 2035 and the changes they will have to undertake in order to be prepared for this new scenario.
The report, to which Europa Press has had access, considers that personnel will continue to be a priority for the armed forces, despite technological developments, and calls for measures to be taken to avoid recruitment and retention problems. The document attributes this warning to two causes: the marked demographic decline and the sociological evolution of Spanish society.
One of the solutions it proposes is “the expansion and improvement” of the possibilities for temporary links with the armed forces, coordinating an improvement in the current model of voluntary reservists with the outsourcing of services that can be taken on by civilians.
Competition in the labour market for personnel resources will be difficult, the report assumes, which is why one of the greatest challenges in the future will be to “attract and retain increasingly analytical and technical personnel with high skills”.
To be able to compete in this field with the civilian market, it warns that improving the socio-economic conditions of the military, offering quality training, reconciling family life and quality of life will be crucial.
If these objectives are not achieved, it warns that the Armed Forces run the risk of training specialised technicians who then feed the civilian demand, “neglecting the needs of defence”.
