In an interview with Público, Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, Army General José Nunes da Fonseca, highlighted Portugal’s defensive capabilities at low altitudes but acknowledged vulnerabilities at medium and high altitudes, similar to Ukraine and most NATO countries.
“We are short of about seven, eight thousand for the target of 32 thousand military personnel. Given the significant and technological capabilities being developed, we estimate needing 35 to 36 thousand personnel. We cannot acquire equipment without operators,” he stated.
The chief military advisor to the Minister of National Defense estimated the need for 67 billion euros solely for equipment over the next two decades, equating to about 3.5 billion euros per year.
“Choices had to be made. The current Military Programming Law amounts to 5.57 billion euros, whereas initial calculations were around 11 billion euros. Thus, about half of the Armed Forces’ needs remain unmet,” lamented General da Fonseca.
General Fonseca noted that Portugal currently has 808 military personnel on foreign missions, although at times over 1,200 to 1,300 personnel are deployed abroad.
“Throughout this year, more than 3,000 military members have been on missions,” he disclosed, criticizing the removal of security and Defense topics from school curricula, especially in Citizenship education.
He emphasized the need to “reinstate the obligation to defend Portugal among our youth,” when asked about reinstating mandatory military service, which formally ended in Portugal in 2004, a decision made in 1999 under Socialist Prime Minister António Guterres.
On Wednesday, National Defense Minister Nuno Melo announced that Portugal’s application for the European ‘SAFE’ loans includes acquiring frigates, rehabilitating the Alfeite Arsenal, and producing armored vehicles, ammunition, satellites, and drones domestically.
“We will invest in frigates, field artillery, satellites, medium combat vehicles, static vehicles, ammunition, anti-aircraft systems, and drones. For drones, the SAFE project is led by Portugal,” he revealed at the National Defense Institute in Lisbon.
On the 28th, the Council of Ministers approved Portugal’s formal application to the European Defense SAFE loan program, valued at 5.8 billion euros.
