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Information was delivered by the minister during a speech at a diploma ceremony for newly appointed sergeants in the Portuguese Army, held in Caldas da Rainha, without specifying the timeframe of the data.
Nuno Melo highlighted the reversal in recruitment trends, stating, “After ten years of consistently declining numbers,” this change is due to government decisions. He emphasized that the country now has “more young people choosing to join the Armed Forces than those opting to leave.”
“The number of new recruits is equivalent to a battalion, showing that the Armed Forces are today more appealing and respected among young Portuguese,” he remarked.
The minister called for the Armed Forces to meet the expectations of these young people by ensuring that those who enter are aware they can “build careers in areas of the future” that offer technological and “disruptive” opportunities not available in other fields.
Recruitment has been a significant challenge for the Portuguese Armed Forces in recent years, with numbers steadily declining. The Minister of Defense had previously prioritized addressing this issue.
In October 2024, Nuno Melo had already announced an increase in applications to the Armed Forces, noting that after eight years of declining recruitment and retention, “the cycle has reversed.”
“After eight years of consistently falling recruitment and retention numbers, we have finally seen, for the first time in many years, a reversal of this trend,” Nuno Melo announced during a session in the parliamentary Defense Committee.
The Defense Minister stated that he remains cautious and believes time is needed to see if this trend remains consistent. The goal is to reach about 30,000 military personnel in the Armed Forces, as set by the government, by the end of the legislative term.
