July 3, 2008 (LPAC)--The Spanish Defense Minister has in effect purged the top military leadership of the country to further plans for more Spanish overseas military intervention. This should be seen as part of the Euro-superstate faction to increase the European Union's imperialist military intervention capabilities.

Just back from maternity leave, Spanish Defense Minister Charme Chacon announced the removal of Spain's top military leadership, including Chief of the Defense Staff, General Felix Sanz, and the chiefs of the army, navy and air force. She has done this despite being advised not to by her socialist predecessor, Jose Antonio Alonso, and the private opinion of Premier Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero.

The reason for the purge is the intention to prepare Spain for more military deployments. She told the parliament's defense commission on Monday, that she plans to boost military operation abroad "both in peacekeeping missions and in war zones." She added, "Our armed forces for peace often operate in the theater of war to protect civilians. There is no contradiction between one and the other. The armed forces are an armed, military organization, not an NGO." She wants to lift restrictions on numbers of troops that can be deployed in these operations, which is now limited to 3,000. As part of this effort, she wants to increase the military from 126,000 to 130,000, and raise the military presence of Spain throughout the world. She also wants to increase the number of troops at the north African Spanish enclaves, Ceuta and Melilla, by 350 soldiers, to 3,000. These enclaves are still under dispute with Morocco, according to a report in The Independent.