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Aerospace and Defense Review

The Secretary of State for Defence announces at the presentation event of the 3rd edition of the International Defence and Security Exhibition of Spain an investment of 1.2% in Defence for 2023.

• Spain's investment in Defence will be over 4.9 billion euros in 2023, according to the Secretary of State for Defence, Ms. María Amparo Valcarce, at the presentation event of the 3rd edition of the International Defence and Security Exhibition of Spain.

• According to Mr. Julián García Vargas, "2023 will be the year of FEINDEF's growth, an exhibition that will serve as a showcase for the Spanish Defence and Security industry".

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• Indra, Global Sponsor of FEINDEF23, has set itself the challenge of responding to the needs of the sector in a fast, ambitious and coordinated way that will allow Spain to play an ambitious role as a country and European ally of NATO.

Madrid - FEINDEF23, the third edition of the International Security and Defence Exhibition organized by FEINDEF Foundation, has been officially presented in a ceremony chaired by the Secretary of State for Defence, Ms. María Amparo Valcarce, and the President of FEINDEF Foundation, Mr. Julián García Vargas. The event was also attended by Mr. Marc Murtra, president of Indra, global sponsor of this third edition.

FEINDEF23, under the theme "In Defence of our Security" will have 40,000 square meters of exhibition space, 400 exhibitors from 20 countries and more than 100 international delegations. In addition, the Spanish entrepreneurial sector will have an outstanding presence on May 17th, 18th and 19th in halls 8 and 10 of IFEMA Madrid. With only two editions, FEINDEF has become a reference exhibition in Spain and one of the most important Defence exhibitions in Europe. FEINDEF23 will be an important driver for the economic and technological development that the sector needs and in 2023, will have an increased investment of 2% of the Spanish GDP destined to projects and programs focused on guaranteeing the security and defence of our nation.

Mr. Julián García Vargas, president of the FEINDEF FOUNDATION, stated that while the second edition of FEINDEF meant the consolidation of the exhibition, "2023 will be the year of the growth for this event". García Vargas defined FEINDEF, which has the institutional support of the Ministry of Industry, Defence, Interior, Universities and other governmental bodies, as "an international showcase for the Spanish industry, which we hope will be attended by more than 400 companies". In addition, the president of the FEINDEF FOUNDATION highlighted the collaborative capacity between the public and private sectors, "fundamental for the proper functioning and success of the exhibition and of the Spanish Defence and Security industry".

For his part, Mr. Marc Murtra, Chairman of Indra, affirmed that Spain has 3 trends that have accelerated "abruptly" due to the pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine: that technology is key to security; that security is essential, as without it there are no companies, civil society, sustainability or life; and that technological platforms and solutions, which are increasingly advanced, require economies of scale.

In this regard, Murtra defined the Spanish government's decision to increase investment in defence as "responsible, appropriate and not easy", as it will have "transforming consequences and a clear and concrete impact on the sector". Indra, in the words of its president, has set itself the challenge of responding to the needs of the Armed Forces in an "optimal and efficient" way and mentioned that, although "we are on the way and progress has been made, there is still a lot to do in a fast, ambitious and coordinated way".

To conclude the FEINDEF23 presentation ceremony, Ms. María Amparo Valcarce, Secretary of State for Defence, emphasized Spain's greater awareness of its commitment to security and defence, since "our freedom and quality of life are at stake". "The moment we are living in is transcendental and Spain does not remain on the sidelines, as it is a matter of state." Valcarce added that in 2022 "we will take the first step to meet the Wales objectives of assigning by 2029 at least 2% of GDP in Defence, by dedicating a budget of 2 billion euros to this sector" and that in 2023 "we will celebrate a fundamental milestone": "we will reach 1.2% of investment in defence, that is, 4,902 million euros in special modernization programs".

She also pointed out that the significant increase in the Defence budget, which will be of 25.8%, will mean the creation of more than 26,000 jobs, and will have a great impact on "engineering, higher vocational training and, therefore, on qualified industrial employment, which is essential to guarantee the well-being and progress of Spain". For the secretary, FEINDEF "represents the best showcase for the national defence industry and the gateway to the European and international market".

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