COLUMN | Spain Facing the Indo-Pacific

Within its document "Vision 2050," the Spanish Navy acknowledges the importance of the Indo-Pacific as a center of gravity in global affairs and aims to operate in that theater within coalitions.

The visit of the heir to the Spanish throne to the coasts of Chile these days provides an opportunity to discuss her country’s positioning in the Indo-Pacific, a geopolitical reality that it helped to establish, as the incorporation of these oceans into the maps of the known world was largely the work of the crown represented by Princess Leonor of Bourbon, the Princess of Asturias.

The sighting of the South Sea by Vasco Núñez de Balboa in 1513; the discovery of the interoceanic passage by Hernando de Magallanes in 1520; the circumnavigation by Sebastián Elcano in 1522; and the finding of the route to return from Asia to America by Andrés de Urdaneta in 1565 are milestones in the history of global navigation, which made the “Pacific” a “Spanish Lake” between the 16th and 17th centuries and allowed Philip II to assert that he ruled “an empire where the sun never sets.”

Knowledge about its coasts, currents, and islands was treated as a state secret to achieve an unassailable dominance, which lasted until other Europeans began to challenge the statu quo, in the form of territorial conquest, privateering, or piracy. Then came the processes of American emancipation and the war against the United States in 1898 —with the loss of Guam and the Philippines among its results— events that diminished Spanish peaceful presence to its minimum expression, although the cultural legacy can be perceived from Tierra del Fuego to California.

While the sailing ship “Juan Sebastián de Elcano,” where Princess Leonor is advancing her naval training, is a frequent visitor, this time it arrives at a different moment. The midshipmen on board, at least by age, should be the ones to materialize the Spanish Navy’s “Vision 2050,” a document published at the end of last year.

In its strategic positioning for the future, this navy stated that “there is a shift in the global economic center of gravity towards the Indo-Pacific, where the sea will gain relevance and it will be necessary to act within the framework of international coalitions.”

For a naval force that currently operates in the Mediterranean, the Atlantic, and the coasts of Africa, recognizing the importance of this additional theater aligns closely with what other European countries are doing. With specific deployments of German, British, Dutch, and Italian ships in various areas of the Indo-Pacific —France does not count, as it is a resident power— these navies have demonstrated that they have global reach, can interoperate with other navies, reinforce security regimes, and fulfill missions ranging from the defense of freedom of navigation to humanitarian assistance.

The last time a Spanish gray hull appeared off the Chilean coasts, it went unnoticed, as a week earlier the 2019 protests had erupted. The frigate “Méndez Núñez” —a modern anti-aircraft destroyer with an Aegis combat system— arrived in Valparaíso as part of a circumnavigation to commemorate Magellan. The name of the ship did not resonate in a port ablaze, this time on its own account. However, if the “Vision 2050” is consistent, that situation should begin to change.

Those of us who have sailed with the Spanish Navy in the Gulf of Aden or the central Mediterranean can attest that its sailors remain active in protecting the global trade system against threats such as piracy and the illicit trafficking of migrants. The skill of its shipyards, including Navantia, to build vessels such as the upcoming F-110 frigates and Isaac Peral-class submarines is also recognized.

And while Spain’s and the Europeans’ capacity to engage in the Indo-Pacific is limited when evaluated in terms of numbers and lethality, it is also true that, if we exclude Australia, the United States, China, Japan, and India, several local players contribute almost nothing to safeguarding their own neighborhood. Therefore, sometimes less is more, and that is why coalitions exist as force multipliers. Furthermore, the new injections of resources for European Defense should somehow be reflected in the oceans.

On the Latin American coasts bordering the Indo-Pacific in its broader version, the fourth most powerful navy of the Old Continent should find something more than history. There is also a possible share of the future, if it manages to find like-minded partners for its “Vision 2050,” such as Chile, for example. Today, Spain is once again navigating the Southern Seas with the crown at the forefront. But what may seem like a simple anecdote could perhaps be something more significant this time.

March 22, 2025