[1] The Spanish Army of Africa can be said to have originated as a permanent institution with the establishment in 1893 of the Regimiento de África N° 1 (1st African Infantry Regiment).

[2] Following the Melilla Campaign of 1909–10 Spain began expanding inland from its established coastal holdings and a force of Policia Indigena (Native Police) was created with Moroccan personnel.

[4] The Spanish Army of Africa included an indigenous light infantry force under European officers, designated as the Tiradores de Ifni.

Its purpose was to provide a corps of professional troops to fight in Spain's colonial campaigns in North Africa in place of conscript units that were proving ineffective.

Following the conclusion of the Rif War, the garrison of Spanish Morocco was reduced to the units listed above; plus seven infantry battalions, six cavalry squadrons and six artillery batteries from mainland Spain assigned to African service on a rotation basis.

The government decided to deploy them instead of the inexperienced peninsular troops, fearing the negative impact of conscript casualties on public opinion.

However the crews of the majority of ships in the Spanish Navy had remained loyal to the Republican government,[7] overwhelming the officers who had joined the rising.

The Legion and Regulares spearheaded Nationalist operations for the remainder of the war and played a central role in the Francoist victory.

During the 1940s detachments from the Tiradores de Ifni garrisoned the Canary Islands, while a mounted Guardia Mora ("Moorish Guard") undertook ceremonial duties in Madrid.

The cities of Ceuta and Melilla and the smaller towns of Spanish sovereignty were maintained, and are still garrisoned by units of the Legion and Regulars.

The cities of Melilla and Ceuta, and the lesser plazas de soberanía as well, remained Spanish and are still garrisoned by Legion and Regulares units.