“This is not a concern, we’re investing, and it’s precisely on schedule. Low altitude, medium altitude, we’re not investing in Patriot because we do not have the resources for that. But we are investing in low altitude and medium altitude air defense equipment,” stated [Name], speaking to journalists after presiding over the sword delivery ceremony to the new officers of the Portuguese Army at the Military Academy in Lisbon.
Nuno Melo explained that this investment is planned according to the government’s timeline, within the framework of the defense investment target of 2% of the gross domestic product by 2025, without giving further details on the timing and scale of this investment or the current status of the country in this matter.
The Minister of National Defense said the government “is investing heavily in equipment to do in the Armed Forces what has not been done for decades,” noting, in addition to the increased defense budget, the six billion euros in loans for Portugal’s defense sector proposed by the European Commission under the Security Action for Europe program (SAFE).
“Many pieces of equipment are related to air defense. The point is, we are not stopping there, we are investing in air defense, we are investing in satellites, in ships, in aircraft, we are investing in all three branches,” he added.
Nuno Melo also argued that the government’s first investment was in the personnel of the Armed Forces, particularly in terms of salaries, followed now by investments “according to the country’s capabilities” in military equipment.
The European Commission asked EU countries to identify their military shortages to strengthen capabilities through “coalitions of member states,” in a document that presents a timeline on the European Union’s (EU) readiness in the field of defense and identifies “nine critical capability areas,” including missiles and air defense.
When questioned about the government’s appeal for protection from Portuguese citizens aboard the humanitarian flotilla heading to the Gaza Strip, Nuno Melo refused to comment, stating that this matter is unrelated to the Armed Forces and that he subscribes to the Prime Minister’s remarks.
The Prime Minister said today that the government is in contact with Italy and Spain regarding the humanitarian flotilla’s oversight, acknowledging there is a “record of danger,” but that the government did “what was appropriate” in this context.
[Updated at 19h29]
