The Prime Minister visited the 120 Portuguese soldiers deployed in Slovakia as part of a NATO mission, highlighting that defending Portugal implies being on the side of its allies. The Portuguese military presence in Slovakia began in 2024, reinforcing NATO’s eastern border after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The Prime Minister highlighted this Friday the importance of the participation of the Armed Forces in NATO missions, considering that “defending Portugal also means being at the side” of its allies, even as a guarantee of future security.
Luís Montenegro was speaking at the beginning of a lunch meeting with around 120 Portuguese soldiers from the first Detached National Force (FND) in Slovakia, who are in that country as part of a NATO mission.
“Sometimes we don’t really understand the dimension, the meaning of participating in these missions outside our territory. And I want to tell the Portuguese that we are also here defending them and defending what is ours in Portugal”, he stated.
The Prime Minister highlighted that these missions are intended, firstly, to fulfill the country’s responsibilities in the Atlantic Alliance, but also to guarantee future assistance, if necessary.
“It is by being alongside our partners and allies that we are sure that they will also be by our side if we ever need to defend our maritime space, our air space or our land space”, he highlighted.
Previously, the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces (CEMGFA), General José Nunes da Fonseca, – who accompanied Montenegro on this visit, as did the Minister of National Defense, Nuno Melo, – thanked the Prime Minister for the Prime Minister’s attention to the Armed Forces and for having managed “in his very right time” to make this Christmas visit to the Portuguese military in Slovakia.
“We will not weaken. We want, once again, to honor the performances, which are invariably recognized by the highest international entities and bodies”, he stated.
120 Portuguese soldiers deployed in Slovakia
The head of the Government arrived, wearing a camouflage jacket, at around 2:15 pm at the Lest military base, located around two and a half hours from the capital of Slovakia, and where around 120 Portuguese soldiers are stationed.
Upon arrival, a brief military ceremony took place, followed by the signing of honor books and an exchange of institutional souvenirs, ending with a group photograph, close to sunset, in a program that lasted around two hours.
The presence of Portuguese military forces in Slovakia began in July 2024, through a platoon of tanks, with 24 soldiers, forming part of a Spanish battalion of the Multinational Battlegroup Slovakia (MNBG SVK).
Since February 2022, when the Russian Federation invaded Ukraine, NATO countries, namely Portugal, have reinforced their military presence in eastern Europe.
Under this mission, in July 2025 the Portuguese contingent in Slovakia increased to a subgroup with 120 soldiers (112 men and eight women), equipped with tanks, PANDUR II 8×8 vehicles and Spanish URO VAMTAC military vehicles.
This Atlantic Alliance mission in Slovakia – a country bordering Ukraine – aims to reinforce the presence of military forces on NATO’s eastern border, “contributing to deterrence and defense”, similar to the missions in Romania, where Portugal has a contingent of around 300 soldiers.
A year ago, it was the President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, who traveled to Slovakia before Christmas. Recently, the Slovak President, Peter Pellegrini, returned the visit and thanked Portugal for the military support given to the eastern part of Europe, within the scope of NATO.
In December 2024, in his first visit as head of the Government to Portuguese military personnel on mission abroad, Luís Montenegro visited before Christmas the Portuguese military personnel of the Detached National Forces (FND) in Romania who are part of the NATO mission in this country.
