The Minister of Defense acknowledged today that there are difficulties in Portugal and other countries in recruiting military personnel, but assured that the government is working to attract and retain personnel.
“The issue of recruitment and retention difficulties, above all, has been recognized in Portugal and in other countries that face these difficulties. We have taken a number of measures to deal with these difficulties,” he said.
Helena Carreiras was speaking to journalists at the Lisbon Naval Base at the end of the ceremony to welcome the Portuguese Navy ship, the NRP Setúbal, after it had taken part in another mission as part of the “Open Sea” initiative.
When asked about a report in the weekly newspaper Expresso on Friday that the Navy and Army recorded record highs in unexpected departures in 2022, with the Portuguese Armed Forces losing 7.2% of their personnel that year, the minister said that a series of measures are underway to deal with these difficulties.
Helena Carreiras added that the figures recorded are also related to the exceptional measures under covid-19.
“It should be noted that in relation to the data released there is a situation that helps explain the volume of departures in recent years. It has to do with the exceptional measures under covid-19, an exceptional situation that has made it possible to extend contracts and contain departures,” he said.
Helena Carreiras acknowledged that the job market is very attractive for some areas in which military personnel are trained, which leaves a big challenge to retain them.
“As we train well, we train professional and qualified military personnel, there is a great attraction on the part of the job market, a positive aspect but one that leaves us with a big challenge, the challenge of retaining them,” he stressed.
The minister listed a number of coordinated actions underway to face this challenge, including the cadre of officers in the Air Force and Army, a measure she considers structural and which will allow more soldiers to remain in this class for longer, as well as expanding the areas in which a special contract regime is possible, allowing them to spend up to 18 years in the armed forces.
Another of the measures, he said, is to strengthen mechanisms that value the military, namely their professional certification, aligning their skills with the national qualifications system, as well as improving the habitability of the units.
“There is a set of measures to which are added measures in the area of income. Just as we did in 2022, when it was possible to increase salaries by between two and eight percent and for the lowest categories of the pay scale to increase by up to 100 euros, valuing a group of 8,000 military personnel,” he said.
Regarding the Setúbal ship’s mission, which ended today after four months, the minister described it as important for ensuring Portugal’s presence in the Atlantic Ocean, establishing cooperative relations with the navies and coastguards of Portuguese-speaking countries and representing the European Union by implementing some of Europe’s maritime security strategy.
The Setúbal was on a mission for four months, during which it sailed 1,498 hours, covered 17,000 nautical miles (around 32,000 kilometers), visited 11 countries and around 14 different ports and took part in the Portugal Day celebrations in Cape Town, South Africa.
It is currently commanded by Commander Aristides Pereira da Costa and has a garrison of 67 soldiers.
For Carlos Guimarães, a young 24-year-old Marine, this was his first mission.
In the Portuguese Navy since 2017, Carlos Guimarães explained to journalists that being a marine has always been a desire, but he recognizes that the departure of military personnel from the armed forces has a lot to do with salaries.
“I’m happy with my work and my role in the marines, it’s one of the things that keeps me here. What makes the military leave these days is mainly the pay, it doesn’t justify being away on missions for so long because there are other offers out there. I want to stay, but everything will depend on the offers,” he said.
The Mar Aberto initiative aims to help maintain cooperative relations and meet Portugal’s international commitments within the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries (CPLP) and the European Union’s Coordinated Maritime Presences (EU CMP).