Spanish Armed Forces during the period of Francoism

Francoist Armed Forces
Fuerzas Armadas de España
Flag of Spain (1945–1977)
Founded	1939
Current form	Spanish Armed Forces
Disbanded	1975
Service branches	Francoist Army Civil Guard Armed Police Corps
Leadership
Commander-in-chief	Francisco Franco
Minister of the Army	See list
Minister of the Navy	See list
Minister of the Air	See list
Chief of the Defence High Command	See list
Related articles
Ranks	Military ranks of the Spanish State [es]

During the period of Francoism, the Spanish Armed Forces were in charge of the national defence and public order of the Spanish territory during the historical period when the Kingdom of Spain was under the control of General Francisco Franco. Its history goes from the beginning of the Civil War, through the military dictatorship, until 1978 and the first years of the transition to democracy.

During the Civil War and the dictatorship, they called themselves the National Army or simply Spanish Army. Due to their loyalty and obedience to Franco, they are also known as the Francoist Army. In fact, during the dictatorship of Francisco Franco it became one of the levers and main supports of Franco's power, and as such it remained until after his death in 1975 and the reinstatement of democracy during the period of the transition.

It had its origins in the forces that rose up in 1936 against the Republican government, starting the Civil War that would last almost three years. When this ended with the victory of Franco as absolute dictator of the country, its organisation changed and its internal structure became bureaucratised. The historian Gabriel Cardona highlights in his works the chronic shortage of material resources, as well as the corruption and enchufismo, which did not contribute to improving the Spanish Armed Forces.^[1] Franco's army was more of a police force and an element of pressure for the regime, but incapable of fulfilling the function of a modern army that it was supposed to have been entrusted with.