American Military Assistance to the Franco Government in the 1950s: Between desire and reality

The rearming and military training of Allies became a constant in U.S. foreign policy in the Cold War. The Spanish Armed Forces (SAF) also participated in such a process. The Spanish government interpreted the signing of the Pacts of 1953 as a necessary foreign stimulus to an overdue military modernization. This aspiration was hindered by the subordinate role assigned to the SAF by the United States, by insufficient knowledge concerning the different forms of American aid, and by too much improvisation with respect to the transfer and reception of weaponry, military material and technical knowledge. U.S. military assistance contributed to a partial renovation of military equipment and a better training of the Armed Forces, although this occurred at far slower pace and was not as extensive as Spanish authorities desired.