Portuguese Armed Forces (Forças Armadas): Portuguese Army (Exercito Portuguesa), Portuguese Navy (Marinha Portuguesa; includes Marine Corps, aka Corpo de Fuzileiros or Corps of Fusiliers), Portuguese Air Force (Forca Aerea Portuguesa, FAP)
Ministry of Internal Administration: Foreigners and Borders Service, Public Security Service, National Republican Guard (Guarda Nacional Republicana, GNR) (2024)
note: the Foreigners and Borders Service has jurisdiction over immigration and border matters, the Public Security Police has jurisdiction in cities, and the GNR has jurisdiction in rural areas; the GNR is a national gendarmerie force comprised of military personnel with law enforcement, internal security, civil defense, disaster response, and coast guard duties; it is responsible to both the Ministry of Internal Administration and to the Ministry of National Defense; it is not part of the Armed Forces, but may be placed under the operational command of the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces in the event of a national emergency; the GNR describes itself as a hinge between the Armed Forces and the police forces and other security services
1.5% of GDP (2023 est.)
1.4% of GDP (2022 est.)
1.5% of GDP (2021)
1.4% of GDP (2020)
1.4% of GDP (2019)
approximately 25,000 active-duty personnel (12,000 Army; 7,000 Navy, including about 1,000 marines; 6,000 Air Force); 24,500 National Republican Guard (military personnel) (2023)
the military's inventory includes mostly European- and US-origin weapons systems along with a smaller mix of domestically produced equipment; in recent years, leading foreign suppliers have included Germany and the US; Portugal's defense industry is primarily focused on shipbuilding (2023)
18-30 years of age for voluntary or contract military service; no compulsory military service (abolished 2004) but conscription possible if insufficient volunteers available; women serve in the armed forces but are prohibited from serving in some combatant specialties; contract service lasts for an initial period of 2-6 years, and can be extended to a maximum of 20 years of service; initial voluntary military service lasts 12 months; reserve obligation to age 35 (2023)
note: as of 2023, women made up about 14% of the military's full-time personnel
225 Central African Republic (MINUSCA/EUTM); approximately 200 Lithuania (NATO); approximately 230 Romania (NATO) (2023)
note 1: in 2021, Portugal deployed about 80 troops to Mozambique to assist with the EU training mission
note 2: in response to Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, some NATO countries, including Portugal, have sent additional troops to the battlegroups deployed in NATO territory in eastern Europe
note 3: Portugal also participates in several NATO maritime and air policing operations, as well as some EU international missions
the Portuguese military is an all-volunteer force with the primary responsibilities of external defense, humanitarian operations, and fulfilling Portugal’s commitments to European and international security; Portugal was one of the original signers of the North Atlantic Treaty (also known as the Washington Treaty) in 1949 establishing NATO, and the Alliance forms a key pillar of Portugal’s defense policy; Portugal is also a signatory of the EU’s Common Security and Defense Policy, and it regularly participates in a variety of EU, NATO, and UN deployments around the world; the military’s largest commitments include air, ground, and naval forces under NATO-led missions and standing task forces in the Baltics, Eastern Europe, and the Mediterranean Sea; the military also participates regularly in exercises with NATO partners
Portugal has had a standing army since the 1570s; the modern-day Army’s primary combat forces are a heavy mechanized brigade, a light mechanized “intervention” brigade, and a rapid reaction brigade comprised of commandos, paratroopers, and special forces; there are also garrison units in the Azores and Madeira
Portugal’s Navy is one of the oldest in the world, having been permanently established in in the 1300s, and maritime security has long been a key component of the military’s portfolio; the current Navy has a wide variety of missions in addition to war fighting, such as combating piracy, evacuating national citizens from conflict zones, fishery inspections, maritime interdiction, search and rescue, providing support to other domestic security agencies, and assisting with scientific research; its principal warships are 11 frigates, corvettes, and offshore patrol ships, and two attack-type submarines; the Navy also has a small marine force, which constitutes the Navy’s commando and special operations component
the Air Force was formed in 1952 although the first flying unit was created in 1911; the current Air Force has about 20 US-made fighter aircraft, as well as reconnaissance and surveillance, maritime patrol, transport, search and rescue, and firefighting fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft (2023)
NOTE: The information regarding Portugal on this page is re-published from the 2024 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency and other sources. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Portugal 2024 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Portugal 2024 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.
This page was last modified 04 May 24, Copyright © 2024 ITA all rights reserved.
