A platoon of 155 extra infantry is being prepared to ship out to Slovakia next month. The news came today from General Eduardo Mendes Ferrão who stresses that the country’s armed forces have never had “so many simultaneous operational commitments” abroad.
There are currently 120 soldiers stationed in Slovakia, making up part of the Slovak Multinational Battlegroup. The reinforcement of another 155 “is a clear message to our allies” of Portugal’s commitment to the collective defence of NATO’s eastern flank, said the general, explaining that the Slovak presence represents, for the first time since 2025, the commitment of the Portuguese Army’s heavy forces outside national territory as a deployed national force, in a process that had been in preparation for more than four years.
“Portugal is committing its strongest capacity to Europe’s eastern flank. This is seen as a sign of great commitment and is recognised with great confidence by our allies and NATO,” he told Lusa on the sidelines of a ceremony at the Santa Margarida Military Camp, in Constância, Santarém district.
Beyond the military personnel leaving for Slovakia, there will be 23 vehicles, including five Leopard 2A6 tanks, nine Pandur 8×8 armoured vehicles, five medium tactical vehicles (VTM) and four URU Vamtac vehicles.
In his speech at the ceremony, the general placed the mission in the geopolitical context of the war in Ukraine, recalling that the Portuguese presence in Eastern Europe began with a platoon of tanks, evolved into a sub-group and now will be further reinforced.
“This Force is prepared to reinforce the Atlantic Alliance’s response capacity and demonstrate, with forces on the ground, that Portugal does not fail when European security is at risk,” he said.
Eduardo Mendes Ferrão also pointed out that the mission is an opportunity for joint training with allies, reinforcing the interoperability and operational readiness of the land force.
When questioned by Lusa about the number of international commitments, General Ferrão agreed that‘the Army has never had so many simultaneous operational commitments’.
“The Army has forces abroad, forces preparing to go abroad, and forces on standby for the European Union and the Rapid Reaction Force. The Army’s routine is to train, educate, and be prepared to respond to assigned missions,” he added.
Right now, the Portuguese Army has 624 military personnel engaged in 14 missions on four continents – seven within the scope of NATO, two of the UN and five of the European Union.
These include the presence of 200 military personnel in Romania (8FND), 50 special operations military personnel also in Romania, 191 military personnel in the Central African Republic, serving the United Nations, 120 in Slovakia, and participation in the European Union Battlegroup, on standby, which includes around 1,300 Portuguese military personnel out of a total of 2,500.
Source: LUSA
