According to the report prepared by the General Directorate of National Defense Policy, 1,335 staff were committed in the second half of last year: 722 military personnel (54.1%) in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) missions in the United Nations; (UN), 112 (8.4%) in European Union missions
The Portuguese Armed Forces participated with 1,335 military personnel in international missions in the second half of 2024, more than half within the organization of the North Atlantic Treaty (NATO) and with a strong presence in eastern Europe.
These data are included in a report prepared by the Directorate-General of National Defense Policy, to which the Lusa agency had access, and will be debated this afternoon to the Parliamentary Defense Commission.
According to this document, 1,335 staff were committed in the second half of last year: 722 military personnel (54.1%) in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), 247 (18.5%) in the United Nations; (UN), 112 (8.4%) in European Union missions.
In addition to these, 126 military personnel (9.4%) were committed to the bilateral and multilateral framework, 39 (2.9%) on Frontex and 89 military advisors participated in these missions.
The report highlights July, during which Portugal participated in 26 missions and even committed 1,074 staff at the same time, the highest number of the year.
According to a graph that accounts for the total number of staff of the highlighted national forces and border agency committed per month, the year began with 598 Portuguese military in international missions, which increased until reaching 1,072 in April, 1,066 in May, 965 in June and 1,074 in July, the highest number of the year.
The trajectory went down until it reached 740 in December.
The participation of women in international missions has always remained below 100 staff per month, with the largest number (91) to be found in July and November.
Regarding geographical areas, 35.5% was in the Centro and East Europe region, 34.1% in Africa (Centro and Eastern coast), 16.2% in the North Sea and Baltic Sea, 7.6% in the Gulf of Guinea and African Western Coast, 6.1% in the Mediterranean and 0.5% in the Asia and South America region.
“Portugal maintained, in the 2nd semester of 2024, a significant presence in national missions and forces highlighted in the multilateral (UN, EU and NATO) and bilateral scope, with special attention to the South Flame (Central and Sub -Saharan Africa, Gulf of Guinea and Palop), East Flank (Romania and Lithuania) and Atlantic, Baltic and Mediterranean, commitment Navals, land and air, according to the political guidelines of superiorly defined national defense ”, reads in the text.
The conclusions of the 2023 NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, “the operational situation resulting from the war in Ukraine” and “the volatility of the security situation in Africa” were also taken into account.
Despite the geopolitical tensions that led several European countries to reinforce their presence in the eastern region of Europe, the report highlights that Portugal continues its investment in Africa, the South Atlantic and the Indian (Gulf of Guinea – Central African Republic – Mozambique – Somalia).
In the case of the Central African Republic, where Portugal has been present since 2016 and currently has about 240 military personnel, according to the Official Site of the Armed Forces General State (EMGFA), Portuguese participation has contributed “very committed to the stabilization of the country”.
“This reality, coupled with the experience collected during continuous commitment to the mission, has allowed Portugal a deep knowledge of the central African reality, its particularities and the factors that influence the performance of the mission. Experience on the ground has also allowed Portugal to apply the lessons learned (useful for beating future projections in the country and in the region), and it is important to take advantage of ‘ledage’. [alavancagem] Reached by Portugal in this region ”, reads in the text.
