Russia-Ukraine conflict: how many Asturians could have been mobilized if Spain had entered World War III

This does not seem like an immediate scenario, but given the course of events it does not seem far-fetched either. The war continues to escalate in Europe and Donald Trump’s recent victory in the United States elections—and the fear that his government will be sidelined. ukraine– Has prompted the Biden administration to cross some of the red lines it had maintained until now. after the green signal of white House Tensions between world powers are at their highest point since Ukraine used long-range missiles against targets located on Russian territory and Russia responded by using intercontinental missiles for the first time. cold war,

Could the escalation of the conflict affect Spain?

As a NATO member state, Spain would be drawn into the conflict should Russia attack any country in the alliance. It is determined by Article 5 of the Washington Treaty Which establishes that any attack on any member country of the organization will be considered an attack directed against all of them. It would not be necessary for Russia to attack even the United States, it would be enough for it to attack one of the Baltic countries Sweden, Finland or EstoniaThe entire alliance was completely thrown into conflict.

And what would happen if Spain went to war?

Some Nordic countries have begun preparing and distributing survival manuals in the event of a nuclear war. In the case of Spain, geographical remoteness prevents us from thinking about an imminent Russian invasion, although it could be the target of attacks with long-range missiles.

Turning to the Spanish Constitution, its Article 30 states that “The Spanish people have the right and duty to defend Spain.” Section two of the same stipulates that “the law shall establish the military obligations of Spaniards and regulate reasonable guarantees, conscientious objection as well as other reasons for exemption from compulsory military service, and may, where appropriate, impose Substitute social benefits. In one of its sections it goes on to indicate that “duties of citizens may be regulated in cases of grave risk, disaster or public disaster.”

What is the conscription order in Spain? How many heavenly beings will this affect?

In the worst possible scenario and if Spain enters the war, 120,000 soldiers of the armed forces will be the first to mobilize. From there, Law 39/2007 on Military Career establishes different types of conscription: voluntary, special availability and mandatory.

After them, the next people to be called to the front will be volunteer reservists and people with special availability. That is, the civilian population who requested to join the armed forces at that time and those soldiers who left the force when they turned 45 years of age. In the event that large troop support remains necessary, the government may mobilize compulsory reservists, citizens between the ages of 19 and 25. These young men will receive a questionnaire about their health status and preferences in the army, followed by medical examinations and physical and psychological tests before joining. For example, in the case of Asturias, according to INE data, there are about 50,000 people, including men and women, who would be in that age range.

So… can they force the civilian population to fight?

The truth is that it is not entirely clear. Although section two of the above Article 30 of Magna Carta establishes ‘conscientious objection’ to avoid conscription, the truth is that it does not at all delimit the cases in which a person can benefit from it. It seems clear that forced recruitment would not be the first option.

On the other hand, the National Security Law does not explicitly stipulate that Spaniards should be mobilized in case of war, but it establishes an integrated strategic approach that involves civil society. The text affirms that a culture of national security implies “the active participation of citizens and civil society organisations”.

If necessary, the order of conscription would have to be decided by the Government and the Congress of Deputies, as Spain has no legislation on the matter and therefore it would still have to be created. It is also very possible that in that situation Spain would declare a state of siege and, who knows, modify some of its laws to facilitate the use of the civilian population as countries like the Russian Federation are already forced to do. has been carried out.