On the 11th December, the Government of Aragon, the Zaragoza City Council and the Government Delegation in Aragon presented to the Defence Minister, Margarita Robles, the Defence logistics and industrial hub project that the different institutions intend to develop in the region.
The meeting, held at the Ministry of Defence, was attended by the Minister of Defence, Margarita Robles; the President of the Government of Aragon, Jorge Azcón; the Mayoress of Zaragoza, Natalia Chueca; and the Government Delegate in Aragon, Fernando Beltrán.
The institutional representatives asked Minister Robles for the Ministry’s active participation in this hub through its advice, accompaniment and institutional support.
‘The Government of Aragon, the Zaragoza City Council, the Government Delegation and the region’s aeronautical cluster are all working to create a Security and Defence industrial ecosystem that will become an engine of economic and technological growth in Aragon,’ said President Azcón.
‘If Aragon is a leading region when it comes to attracting technological, logistical and industrial investment, we can also do the same with the defence industry,’ said the head of the regional executive, who said that Aragon will attend the International Defence and Security Fair of Spain for the first time.
The Mayoress of Zaragoza, Natalia Chueca, indicated that ‘the creation of a logistical and industrial Defence hub is a unique opportunity for Zaragoza, for Aragon and for Spain’.
‘Zaragoza has never seen the defence of the country as a burden, but as an opportunity for social, scientific and economic growth. And what we want with this hub is to expand that opportunity and put it at the service of the country hand in hand with the Spanish Government’, she added.
Aragon has an unquestionable military tradition and is home to thousands of military personnel distributed among the different defence infrastructures and command and control, teaching and logistics units. It is the 2nd largest military centre in Spain (after Madrid) with more than 10,000 military personnel posted here.
The defence industry is rooted in Aragon: 10% of the suppliers of the Spanish Ministry of Defence are from this region.
The industry finds in Aragon optimal conditions for mandatory product testing, thanks to the proximity to CENAD San Gregorio, Europe’s 2nd-largest manoeuvring field.
The region offers a vibrant, dynamic business ecosystem with a sophisticated logistics infrastructure, highly qualified personnel in both academic and technical professions, a strong engineering heritage and advance manufacturing with an international reputation.
