The President of the Republic warned this Saturday, March 28, of a “particularly demanding international context” due to the “re-emergence of high-intensity armed conflicts”, defending the need to reinforce and modernize the Portuguese Armed Forces while maintaining investment in social areas.
António José Seguro highlighted that the world is going through “a period of profound changes” and warned of “political fragmentation”, the attempt to “empty multilateral organizations” and the direct impacts of conflicts in Europe and the Middle East.
These statements were made during the presentation ceremony of the Armed Forces to the new President of the Republic, which took place at Jardim da Liberdade, in Santarém.
Seguro considers that the war in Ukraine “abruptly” changed the perception of collective security, demanding from States “measures compatible with the mission of defending and safeguarding national sovereignty”.
Given this situation, the head of state understands that Portugal must follow up on international commitments made within the European Union and NATO with “investment, modernization and strengthening of capabilities”.
“We live in a dynamic situation with increased risk that requires an unprecedented level of readiness and modernization from the Armed Forces,” he declared, justifying the fact that the April 17 State Council was dedicated exclusively to the topic of security and defense.
The President of the Republic stated that military modernization must be “serious and balanced” and “involve national industry”, generate qualified employment and stimulate technological innovation, defending “a true system of dual application at the service of Portugal” that allows the country to “affirm itself in strategic technological areas”.
According to the one who is also Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, investment in Defense must be “intelligent”, involve national industry and “help create more wealth and better jobs”, enhancing “also the Portuguese scientific system”.
Seguro also considered it “imperative” to make a military career more attractive, enhance careers and guarantee “predictability and dignity” for professionals, having dedicated a significant part of the speech to the human resources of the Armed Forces.
“There are no Armed Forces without human resources”, he stressed, highlighting the role of the military as a pillar of democracy, subordinate to the Constitution and the will of citizens, and the need to make the “military career more appealing to young people”, defending measures that guarantee the permanence of personnel and the reinforcement of internal motivation.
The President of the Republic explained the choice of Santarém as the venue for the ceremony, highlighting the symbolism of the city and paying homage to Salgueiro Maia, whose leadership on 25 de Abril he described as an “example of integrity and sense of duty”.
The head of state also praised the role of Portuguese troops in missions abroad within the scope of NATO, the European Union, the UN and the CPLP, describing them as a “fundamental vector of Portuguese foreign policy”.
Later, at a press conference, he expressed his desire for “an end” to the conflict in the Middle East and for the Government to “define at each moment what is necessary for families”.
Seguro expressed his desire for the Council of State on April 17th to “already have the nine representatives of parliament” and, regarding the bad weather, he said that “there will be an open presidency next month” and that he wants to find out “about this support and how the reconstruction is going”.
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