Why are there armed soldiers in the streets in Italy and France, but not in Spain?

In recent years, especially after the terrorist attacks and migration crises, it has become common to see soldiers patrolling the streets of Paris, Brussels, Rome or Milan. However, in Spain, the image of armed soldiers in public spaces is practically non-existent. Why this difference?

A question of tradition and political culture

The explanation is not only to be found in security criteria, but also in the history, the Constitution and the social perception of each country.

At France, Belgium y Italythe use of the military in homeland security operations is legally regulated and it is culturally accepted.

The two countries have established for many years military patrol operations in its streets. In France, the best known is "Sentinelle", deployed in the aftermath of the 2015 attacks.

France has between 7,000 and 10,000 troops permanently deployed in its territory as part of the Operation Sentinellelaunched in the aftermath of the 2015 attacks. These troops patrol stations, monuments and places of worship, supporting the police in anti-terrorist surveillance tasks. In 2016, in Valence, soldiers opened fire on a car who tried to run them over in front of a mosque. They have also intervened in knife attacks at the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower. During the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, the deployment reached 18,000 troops. Their presence is commonplace and socially accepted.

In Belgium, soldiers were deployed to patrol the streets in the framework of the Operation Vigilant Guardianlaunched on January 16, 2015 in response to the growing terrorist threat. This operation involved the deployment of military personnel in sensitive locations such as train stations, airports, government buildings and European institutions, with the aim of supporting the police in protecting the population. In 2016, the number of soldiers mobilized reached approximately 1,800 units. The operation ended on September 1, 2021, marking the end of a six-year period in which the military presence on Belgian streets was an extraordinary measure to ensure national security.

In Italy, the operation "Strade Sicure".The new security program, launched in 2008, has constantly kept thousands of soldiers guarding stations, monuments and sensitive areas.

At December 2024, the Italian Government deployed 300 parachutists of the "Folgore" Brigade - the Army's elite unit - to evict squatters in the municipality of Caivano, in the province of Naples. The paratroopers, according to the Italian Army websiteThey have also been used in anti-drug operations, participating in drug seizures together with the State Police (equivalent to the National Police).

Italy currently has more than 7,000 Army soldiers deployed on the streets of its cities.

The Spanish case: a constitutional and emotional barrier

In Spain, the use of the Army in public order tasks is strictly limited by the 1978 Constitution. Its Article 8 establishes that the role of the Armed Forces is limited to national defense and the protection of the territorial integrity of the State.

Added to this legal limitation is a historical memory deeply marked by the Franco dictatorship, during which the military actively participated in internal repression. This has generated a generalized social rejection of any attempt to "militarize" civilian life.

Therefore, in internal emergency situations, Spain resorts to specialized civilian bodies such as the National Police, the Guardia Civil -which, although military in structure, operates as a police force- and the regional police forces, such as the Mossos d'Esquadra or the Ertzaintza.

A notable exception is the Military Emergency Unit (UME)created in 2005 as a permanent military unit with specific functions of intervention in cases of serious risk, catastrophe or calamity, both in national territory and in international missions. Its work is oriented to civil protection, participating in fire fighting, flood management, earthquakes and other natural or technological emergencies.

Although it is part of the Armed Forces, the EMU does not act in public order functions or in police operations. Its deployment, even within Spain, is carried out without weapons of war and under the direction of the Ministry of the Interior, in close coordination with Civil Protection and other civilian authorities.

In short, the UME is the only exception in which a military unit can operate regularly on Spanish soil, but always for humanitarian and civil protection purposes, not as a public security tool.

A question of necessity or principle?

From the operational point of view, Spain does not have an urgent need to deploy armed military on the streets.The country has a large number of well-distributed and specialized police forces. But beyond the need, there is a constitutional and cultural principle that prevents the normalization of the use of the military in the civilian sphere.

In Italy, Belgium and France, on the other hand, the presence of soldiers is interpreted as a security enhancementnot as a threat to freedoms. Society accepts - and sometimes even demands - their presence, especially in contexts of anti-terrorist alert.

This difference is not only between Spain, Belgium, France and Italy. On GermanyFor example, the use of the Armed Forces on national territory is also subject to the highly restricted by lawas a direct consequence of World War II. In contrast, in Eastern European countries or in Belgium, it is more common to see soldiers patrolling sensitive areas.

Conclusion

Spain has opted for maintaining a strict separation between the military and civilian spheres. Meanwhile, neighboring countries such as France or Italy have followed different paths, where the army is part - albeit in a limited way - of the daily landscape of public security.

Both models have valid arguments. The important thing is to understand that the presence or absence of the military in the street does not necessarily reflect a higher or lower level of security.The military is a political and historical choice about the type of relationship each society wants to have with its Armed Forces.