"It is time to put the Armed Forces at the core of our concerns"

"It is time to put the Armed Forces again at the core of the Government’s concerns and the Portuguese people’s priorities", stated the Minister of National Defence at the celebration of the 359th anniversary of the Battle of Montes Claros in the Borba region.

"I wish to assure you that with respect to where the budget can take us, we shall strive for the responses that will enable us to dignify the Armed Forces, value the former fighters, update the incentives on the military’s recruitment and retention, as has been claimed for a while now", he claimed.

Nuno Melo also referred to the defence’s productive and technological capacity building, the strategic reinforcement of international missions, and modernising and retrofitting equipment and facilities.

Correcting the disinvestment path

"The world has changed": "there is a war at the EU’s borders, within the NATO permitter, there is a worsening of the situation in the Middle East", and as such, we need to have "Armed Forces that are prepared, equipped, motivated". This is "an obligation of each one of the NATO member states".

This is about correcting "a years’-old path where unfortunately, we did not invest in the Armed Forces". The Minister mentioned he is working with the entire Government "so that the resources are assured that, to for starters, allow justice" for the military personnel.

If the military "aren’t motivated, or we aren’t able to recruit or retain them", the priority "must be to offer better financial conditions for being in the military" by "increasing wages".

The Minister also said that he will not Forget "past military staff", the aim being to "improve former fighters’ lives", as they need "justice".

Furthermore, there is the need to respect the commitments undertaken with NATO", namely "2% of GDP invested in defence", which the Government estimates will be achieved by around 2030.

Foremost expression of sovereignty

Nuno Melo said that today, "as throughout almost nine centuries" where Portugal has been an independent country, the Portuguese Armed Forces "are the foremost expression of the country’s sovereignty and the ultimate Independence frontier".

And, just as 359 years ago with the Battle of Montes Claros, "the last of the five major victories against the Spanish in the so-called Wars of Restoration" in the 21st century, Portugal "still needs its troops".

The Minister presided over the opening of the Battle of Montes Claros square and memorial; an initiative fostered by the Batalha de Aljubarrota foundation.