Portugal’s defence minister, Nuno Melo, has announced that Portugal’s Armed Forces currently comprise 24,517 military personnel – emphasising that this is “a reversal of the downward trend” of the recent past, but still far from the state’s target of 32,000.
Speaking during a parliamentary hearing, Nuno Melo said that the country had 29,479 military personnel in 2015, falling to 23,757 in 2023. The recent rise to 24,517 was a notable shift, although he cautioned against “euphoria”, says Lusa: continued investment in recruitment and retention is essential to maintain this momentum.
And while current numbers are still short of the 32,000 goal set for 2028, the minister expressed his belief that realities are improving as a result of government policies.
Analysing the three branches of the Armed Forces (Army/ Navy/ Air Force), Melo said that only the Navy has seen a decline – dropping from 6,702 personnel in 2024 to 6,644 last year, attributed mainly to geographical factors: while the Army and Air Force maintain bases throughout Portugal, the Navy’s training opportunities are largely concentrated in Lisbon, and this puts off some candidates.
During the three-hour hearing, the minister was also questioned by Liberal Initiative (IL) MP Miguel Rangel regarding Portugal’s defence spending in relation to NATO’s target of 2% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
He confirmed that Portugal reported a total of €6.118 billion in military expenditure, in line with the Alliance’s specific criteria.
He said that this total included the national defence ministry’s €4.114 billion in direct spending, and that the remaining €2.004 billion came from other government departments with direct links to defence, such as military pension payments and contributions (around 60%) from the ministries of interior administration, foreign affairs, infrastructure and housing, amongst others.
Finally, in response to queries from the PSD regarding the military’s role in wildfire prevention, Melo said that personnel are currently deployed across nine municipalities (Sertã, Proença-a-Nova, Vila de Rei, Figueiró dos Vinhos, Oleiros, Leiria, Pombal, Batalha e Marinha Grande) clearing land and collecting wood to minimise the risk of forest fires following the ‘carousel of winter storms’, which left a significant amount of combustible material strewn across forest floors.
Source material: LUSA
