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Portugal PORTUGAL AND NATO
Portugal was one of the founding members of NATO in
1949. For
more than two decades, Portugal's material contribution to
the
alliance was marginal. Its armed forces were preoccupied
with the
fighting in Africa, and its efforts to maintain a colonial
empire
alienated it from the other members of the alliance.
Nevertheless, its contribution in the form of
strategically
located bases and other military facilities was
substantial.
Major air bases and ports on the Portuguese mainland were
deemed
vital for rapid reinforcement and sea resupply of NATO
forces on
the continent. Control of Madeira was considered crucial
for
keeping the North Atlantic routes to the Straits of
Gibraltar
open for allied operations. The Azores provided essential
refueling facilities for the rapid deployment of forces to
Central Europe, the Mediterranean and the Middle East, as
well as
a key base for antisubmarine tracking and naval
surveillance.
In the immediate postrevolutionary period when leftist
ideology was in the ascendancy in the military, the
question of
Portugal's continued active participation in the alliance
came
into question. In 1975 Portuguese representatives absented
themselves from highly classified NATO discussions. By
1980,
however, Portugal had returned to full participation,
rejoining
NATO's Nuclear Planning Group and again taking part in
NATO
exercises. The establishment of a pro-Western democratic
government, followed by the accession of Portugal to the
European
Community (EC) in 1986, inspired renewed interest in an
active
role in the alliance. The desire to provide the armed
forces with
a meaningful military mission after the African operations
ended
and to divert them from further involvement in civilian
politics
were additional factors in Portugal's willingness to
undertake
fresh NATO commitments. Portugal accordingly accepted the
obligation to equip the First Composite Brigade to be at
the
disposal of the Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR)
and
agreed to increase its surveillance and control over a
large
sector of the eastern Atlantic by acquiring modern
frigates and
reconnaissance aircraft.
The Iberian Atlantic Command (IBERLANT), a major
subordinate
command under the Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic
(SACLANT)
located at Norfolk, Virginia, had its headquarters at
Oeiras,
near Lisbon. Since 1982 the IBERLANT commander has been
Portuguese, a vice admiral with a staff of about
sixty-five
officers and 200 enlisted personnel mainly from Portugal,
the
United States, and Britain. IBERLANT encompassed the area
extending from the northern border of Portugal southward
to the
Tropic of Cancer and approximately 1,150 kilometers
seaward from
the Straits of Gibraltar. Madeira was within IBERLANT's
area, as
were the Azores after transfer from NATO's Western
Atlantic
Command (WESTLANT) to meet Portuguese concerns.
The IBERLANT commander had no permanently assigned
combat
forces in peacetime. The IBERLANT staff carried out
planning and
conducted exercises to ensure the headquarters' readiness
to
assume command and logistic support of forces that would
be
assigned in a period of tension or war. In addition to the
administrative facilities and underground command post at
Oeiras,
IBERLANT had extensive communications links with SACLANT
at
Norfolk and other command posts. Other NATO facilities in
Portugal included ammunition and fuel depots and strategic
reserves at Lisbon and a reserve airport at Ovar near
Porto. NATO
also occupied a portion of the Montijo Air Base for the
same
purpose and had fuel storage areas and access to the air
base in
the Azores. The Portuguese navy participated in exercises
with
other NATO fleets, particularly those involving protection
of
resupply convoys in the IBERLANT area.
When Spain became a member of NATO in 1982, Portugal
was
concerned that a reorganization of the NATO command
structure
might follow. Portuguese misgivings focused on the
possibility
that an integrated Iberian command would be formed under a
Spanish commander and that Spain might be entrusted with
security
tasks within the area of Portuguese territories for which
the
Portuguese armed forces were not yet fully equipped. After
Spain's decision in 1986 to remain outside NATO's
integrated
military structure, however, the issue of assignment of
commands
and missions in the Iberian Peninsula and adjacent sea
areas
became dormant.
Data as of January 1993
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