In the complex geopolitical chess game of the Mid-Atlantic, the Canary Islands have ceased to be a mere tourist archipelago to establish themselves as Spain and NATO’s most advanced strategic projection platform. During the celebration of Military Easter 2026, Lieutenant General Julio Salom, head of the Canarias Command, has officially outlined a modernization roadmap that seeks a clear objective: to turn the islands into an impregnable deterrent node against instability along the western African facade and the Sahel.
**Falcon and Radars: The Technological Leap Towards 2035**
The modernization of the air arm is the central pillar of this new security architecture. The announcement of the arrival of Eurofighters under the Falcon Plan and the renewal of state-of-the-art radars in Gran Canaria and Lanzarote responds to a critical need for surveillance. In 2025, where nearly 2,000 aviators stationed on the islands managed almost one million detected tracks, the deployment of domestic manufacturing technology ensures that Spain maintains sovereign control over a security area exceeding one and a half million square kilometers.
This investment is not merely an inventory upgrade; it is a message of operational capability in a context where the Canarias Air Command has demonstrated its versatility, from the permanent control of airspace to its involvement in large-scale exercises like Ocean Sky 25. For the strategy of the Canarias Command, the Army 2035 project is no longer a future aspiration but a palpable reality at the bases of the archipelago.
**The African Calling and the Decline of the Atlantic Route**
Salom’s speech has quantified a politically sensitive phenomenon: irregular immigration. Although the situation of minors remains an open wound, the data shows a decrease of over 60% in arrivals via the Atlantic route compared to the previous year. This statistical success is directly attributed to military and civil cooperation with countries of origin, a defense diplomacy effort that Salom has defined as the Command’s “African calling.”
Technical cooperation missions in Senegal, Mauritania, Cape Verde, Ghana, and Benin have woven a safety net that goes beyond border surveillance. By strengthening the capacities of these neighboring States, Spain manages to shift its security border hundreds of kilometers south. This work is complemented by the deployment of Maritime Action Ships (BAM) in the waters of the Strait and the Gulf of Guinea, ensuring that the median line with Morocco and international waters remain under constant deterrent surveillance.
**The Human Factor and Historical Heritage**
Beyond the fighters and radars, the Canarias Command has wanted to emphasize that technology is inert without the “sense of duty” of its troops. The return of the Canarias XVI Brigade from its mission in Lebanon and the Command’s leadership in the NATO mission in Iraq consolidate Canary soldiers as elite assets in high volatility scenarios.
2026 appears not only as a year of operational challenges but also of historical recognition. The commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the independence of the United States will serve to remind the impact of the Canary Islands in the creation of the Fixed Battalion of Louisiana under the command of the Gálvez family. In this sense, Canarias projects itself into the future not only as an advanced technological base but also reaffirms itself as a historical bridge whose strategic relevance in the Atlantic is, now more than ever, indisputable.
