Defense culture or National security culture? A new doctrinal debate in Spain

Abstract

In many countries the articulation of a culture of defense has been carried out as a necessary part of their national defense policy. Later, as is currently happening in Spain, the defense culture has been framed as part of a broader legal political, and strategic framework: the culture of national security. However, the concepts that define each of the elements of these terms: culture, defense and national security, are still subject to a theoretical debate that hinders their embossing in a national strategic planning. That is why a detailed conceptual precision of the expressions of defense culture and national security culture is carried out as a basis to determine the four categories of actions in which their implementation should be reflected: knowledge, communication, awareness and commitment.