For now, Spain remains outside the group of countries that signed the letter of intent, which represents the first step towards the creation of a European anti-missile shield. Germany is taking the initiative and was not proposed by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz at the A Coruña summit, nor is Spain among the signatory countries now: 14 allies plus Finland, which is on the verge of joining.

Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles, who attended the NATO Defense Ministers’ Summit in Brussels, said: “This German decision is being discussed unilaterally. Spain cooperates with Germany in various projects. In this particular case, we understand that our participation in the NATO missile defense shield is appropriate, without prejudice to the fact that later, if there is a direct request that Germany did not, we will take it into account. The Rota base is the key to the US and NATO missile defense shield. The four destroyers USS Carney, Donald Cook, Ross and Porter guard the skies of the Atlantic Alliance. The Netherlands, Poland, Turkey and Romania participate in this coat of arms.

Defense ministers from 14 NATO member countries and Finland have agreed to develop an air and missile defense system called the European Skyshield Initiative to bolster NATO’s ability to protect its members, the organization said.

“This commitment is even more important today as we witness Russia’s relentless and indiscriminate missile strikes against Ukraine, killing civilians and destroying critical infrastructure,” NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Joana said.

The initiative involves the joint acquisition of air and missile defense assets by European countries, which will allow them to improve “their deterrent and defense capabilities in an effective and cost-effective manner,” the NATO press service said.

Participating countries include Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Germany, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Norway, Slovakia, Slovenia, Romania, UK and Finland.