Portugal THE ARMED FORCES
Figure 10. Organization of the Armed Forces, 1992
Figure 11. Major Military Installations, 1992
A Portuguese navy frigate of the Joćo Belo class in a live-fire
exercise
Courtesy Embassy of Portugal, Washington
A Portuguese Navy frigate of the Vasco da Gama class
Courtesy Embassy of Portugal, Washington
Jet fighters of the Portuguese Air Force
Courtesy Embassy of Portugal, Washington
Portuguese Air Force personnel manning a control tower
Courtesy Embassy of Portugal, Washington
Figure 12. Officer Ranks and Insignia, 1992
Figure 13. Enlisted Ranks and Insignia, 1992
The three services of the Portuguese armed forces had a
combined personnel strength of about 61,000 in 1992: about
33,000
in the army, 15,000 in the navy, and 13,000 in the air
force. The
president of the republic was commander in chief of the
armed
forces, while the senior military officer was the chief of
staff
of the armed forces. The president's formal powers
included the
right to declare war and appoint the chiefs of staff from
names
proposed by the government in power. The president chaired
the
Higher Council of National Defense, whose members were the
prime
minister, the minister of defense and other cabinet
ministers;
the chief of staff of the armed forces; the three service
chiefs
of staff; and the presidents of the regional governments
of the
Azores and Madeira
(see
fig. 10).
Prior to the passage of the National Defense Law of
1982, the
military controlled the passage of laws affecting the
armed
forces, established budgetary and procurement policies,
and had
the power to veto international agreements involving
national
defense. The 1982 law was intended to make the military
subordinate to civilian political authority, functioning
through
the minister of defense, in defense policy matters.
Successive
governments were reluctant to antagonize the military
establishment by depriving it of its former powers, and
initially
the chiefs of staff retained practical control over
budgets,
strategic options, and procurement matters. By the early
1990s,
however, civilian authority incorporated in the 1982 law
was
being more rigorously applied.
Data as of January 1993
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