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Portugal BILATERAL MILITARY RELATIONS WITH OTHER COUNTRIES
Since World War II, Portugal has maintained a
significant
level of defense cooperation with several NATO countries,
but its
military relations with the United States have been of
paramount
importance. The United States was granted facilities at
Lajes Air
Base on Terceira Island in the Azores in 1944. Under a
1951
bilateral defense agreement and subsequent technical
agreements,
the United States has continued to enjoy access to this
base.
Lajes has been an important refueling stop for military
transport
aircraft and a base for tanker aircraft to refuel fighter
aircraft shuttling between the United States and Europe
and the
Middle East. It has also been a base for American
antisubmarine
aircraft that patrolled a large sector of the sealanes
linking
the United States Sixth Fleet in the Mediterranean with
its
supply depots on the east coast of the United States. As
of early
1992, the United States had about 1,200 air force
personnel in
the Azores.
The use of the Lajes Air Base for non-NATO purposes
required
prior clearance by Portugal. When Israel was subjected to
a
surprise attack by Egypt and Syria in October 1973, the
Lajes Air
Base was used to support the emergency transport of
military
supplies to Israel. Portugal was the only NATO country to
grant
the United States the use of its facilities during the
1973
crisis. When UN forces were deployed in 1990 in response
to the
Iraqi occupation of Kuwait, Portugal gave early and
comprehensive
approval to use Lajes and mainland bases for aerial
refueling and
moving United States aircraft and equipment to Saudi
Arabia.
The 1951 Azores agreement was extended in late 1983 to
permit
the United States to have continued use of Lajes for seven
years
until February 1991. As of early 1992, no firm settlement
had
been reached to extend the agreement. As part of the 1983
understandings, the United States pledged its best efforts
to
bring its military aid up to an annual level of US$125
million.
Assistance totaling US$90 million was provided in fiscal
year
(FY) 1984 and US$105 million in FY 1985 but, owing to
Congressional reductions in the administration's requests,
was
lower in subsequent years. Estimated military assistance
obligations in FY 1990 were US$84.6 million.
Disappointment
expressed by the Portuguese prime minister with the level
of
military aid under the 1983 agreement led to consultations
in
1988. As a result, the United States agreed to supply
additional
weaponry to help Portugal bring its NATO-committed forces
to a
more active posture. Portugal's air defense capabilities
were
also to be strengthened by introducing interceptor
aircraft and
modernizing the A-7 squadrons. Among the additional items
of
equipment the United States committed itself to supply
were
twenty F-16 fighter aircraft, fifty-seven helicopters of
various
types, a battery of Hawk SAMs, air defense radar,
vehicles,
ammunition, and a hydrographic vessel. The previous
delivery of
P-3 maritime patrol aircraft and the United States
contribution
to the MEKO frigate program were aimed at augmenting
Portugal's
antisubmarine warfare capability in the Atlantic.
The United States also provided training assistance
valued at
about US$2.5 million annually. This aid enabled more than
500
Portuguese personnel to receive professional military
education
each year, as well as training in the effective use and
maintenance of weapons systems being delivered under the
aid
program.
The Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) had also
been
a substantial supplier of arms to Portugal, transferring
excess
Fiat G-91 aircraft, M-48A5 tanks, trucks, and other
vehicles. In
1986 West Germany announced that about US$200 million
would be
earmarked for the construction of the three MEKO-200
frigates.
The West German air force maintained eighteen Alpha Jets
at Beja
Air Base for advanced training of its personnel under an
agreement dating from 1960. Both the United States and
West
Germany used the aircraft repair and overhaul facilities
at
Alverca under contract with the Portuguese air force.
Several
other NATO countries have contributed modestly to meet
Portugal's
military needs, including components for the MEKO
frigates.
France operated a missile-tracking station on Ilha das
Flores in
the Azores. In partial compensation, France provided
Epsilon
training aircraft to the Portuguese air force in 1989.
According to data compiled by the ACDA, the value of
arms
transfers to Portugal amounted to US$370 million between
1984 and
1988. Of this total, US$210 million originated in the
United
States, US$30 million in West Germany, and US$20 million
in
France. The remaining US$100 million came from a variety
of
suppliers.
Data as of January 1993
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