ABSTRACT
Spain's formal admission to the NATO Alliance as its sixteenth member in May 1982 was greeted with great optimism by those who see a potentially critical role for Spain in NATO's security structure. Modernization of the Spanish armed services would require substantial investment by the Spanish if their defense role within the Alliance is to be significant. Spain's entry into NATO needs to be analyzed against the backdrop of its position on the Iberian Peninsula and the security contributions it would make as part of the Iberian Atlantic Command structure in which the Portuguese currently play the key role. The triangle formed by continental Portugal, Madeira, and the Azores forms a strategic maritime and aerial zone potentially vital to southern flank security. In addition to the reluctance of the Spanish public to accept a military role in the Alliance, a number of internal issues affect Spanish thinking on NATO. Gibraltar is one of them.
