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We commemorate today the National Day of Portugal, Camões and the Portuguese Communities. Commemorating is revisiting the past, the legacy of culture and history, of references and values that moulded our identity. Because this Homeland in which we find ourselves was and will always be determined by the volition and the will of the Portuguese. This is the sense which we must give to these Commemorations.

We do so in Elvas, City-Barracks, a city with a long military presence and tradition, a ground of many battles, and where some of the most beautiful pages of our History were written. One of the decisive Battles of the Restoration was fought here, the Elvas Lines, where, moved by volition and courage, Portuguese troops and the population obtained a victory of enormous political, military and symbolic significance.

Involved by the imposing Amoreira aqueduct, under the testimony of timeless bulwarks and the distant view of the Graça Fort, one of the jewels of military architecture, the grandeur of Elvas is materialized by its vast heritage of fortifications, a perfect symbiosis between knowledge and will, the knowledge of the art of war, which was joined by the determination and ambition of a People.

This is the legacy that must be emphasized, it being the duty of us all to live up to this inheritance, confident and certain that the mind and the feelings of the Portuguese are kept alive and deserving of their past.

Portuguese

We once again count with the presence, in this Ceremony, of Former Combatants who, as has been the case in previous years will occupy a relevant place in the Military Parade. I stress the extraordinary spirit of solidarity of which the Combatants are so well aware and that nowadays, in Portugal, as shown in so many instances, is spread over the whole of the civil society, in the midst of families, in the institutions of social support and in the initiatives that arise locally to lessen the difficulties of those that are struck by the crisis the Country is suffering.

The Nation must know how to honour those that gave all on its behalf, rendering them due tribute and not forgetting the support that is their right.

Servicemen,

The crisis situation and the exiguous resources with which we are living demands reforms, demands sacrifices, demands understanding of what is at stake, demands ingrained patriotism and a notable spirit of mission. No institution will remain untouched. But no institution may be deprived of its characteristics or its essence. More than that, yet, when the issues are fundamental pillars of State, expression of values and of principles which may not be altered.

I want to emphasize, as a start, the exemplary deportment of the Armed Forces.

The Armed Forces understand and participate in the effort demanded from all. Collaborating and pursuing assessments in the sense of finding solutions that may be better harmonized with the proposed objectives. Pursuing a restructure that includes accommodating a significant reduction in numbers, which well reveals the spirit and attitude of cooperation shown in this process.

The Armed Forces have been a reference of stability, cohesion and discipline, fulfilling its tasks with great competence, dedication and professionalism.

The reforms must be carefully prepared and scheduled, be the object of an enlarged consensus amongst the sovereign bodies and involve the fullest possible dialogue with the Military Chiefs, safeguarding the raison d’être of the Armed Forces, their combat capability, their motivation and their military condition.
The sovereign bodies are required to define the political and juridical framework of National Defence and the Armed Forces. They are required to define the political guidelines, the allocation of resources, the follow-up and the supervision of the respective action. They are primarily responsible for the correct functioning of the Military Institution considering the defined objectives and the higher interests of the Country.

Servicemen are required to fulfil the determinations and guidance of the politicians. But they also have the right and, I would even dare say, the duty to contribute, with loyalty and with intent to help, towards the formulation of the best solutions relative to the Armed Forces.

The political decision takers have, in turn, the duty to work with them to achieve that end.

The conditions are thus created in order that the reforms are not limited to a mere exercise of budgetary discipline, but rather incorporating a set of functional principles and patriotic, ethical and institutional values that characterize the Armed Forces and are inherent to them.

A margin will doubtlessly exist to rationalize the upper structure, in the command areas, in logistics and in learning and in the territorial effectives, but always safeguarding the operational component and not depriving the characteristics of the Military Institution.

Servicemen,

The Armed Forces ongoing reform process will still require much work and great care, namely in the treatment of personnel issues, obviously its main asset.

The Health area is also imbued with great operational relevance and special sensitivity for the Military Family, carrying a specific nature that must be considered in the definition of its structure and organization.

Still in the area of personnel, the revision of the Statute of the Armed Forces is being undertaken and this, as a document that defines careers, training, functions, hierarchical and disciplinary relations, as well as rights and duties, is of prime importance, since it moulds the future of the Military Institution and its components.

The revision process must be carried out with due consideration, wisdom and respect for the principles, rules and values of the institution.

Lastly, Education is a true mainstay of the structure and functioning of the Armed Forces. Called upon for techno-professional performance and for Commanding people, often in situations of great demand and complexity, Military Training is not limited to the academic component.

Fully comprised in the national university system, Military Training is, primarily, a School of Chiefs and a school of martial values and citizenship, which provides it with a distinctive feature. It is not by chance that Military Schools have Commanders and not Chancellors.

Portuguese,

The Armed forces have fulfilled their missions within and without national territory, and its superior operability should be acclaimed. For this to be maintained in its high standards, it is important to guarantee the conditions for the training and operation of the Forces.

Internally, in addition to strictly military missions, the Armed Forces act in the support of the people and of national development.

In the last decades, more than 36 thousand servicemen were employed and more than 3 million kilometres travelled in defence of the forest and in the opening of roads; more than 28 thousand hours were flown and 230 thousand hours of navigation, involving more than 70 thousand servicemen, in missions such as search and rescue in the sea, supervision of maritime areas under national jurisdiction, and emergency operations involving health issues. The capabilities and the resources of the Armed Forces are placed, on a day-to-day basis, at the service of Portugal and the Portuguese.

Externally, Portugal has approximately 700 servicemen detached in five Operational Theatres – Afghanistan, Kosovo, the Mediterranean, Somalia and Mali -, also continuing to assume important commitments, within the scope of Techno-Military Cooperation, with Portuguese Speaking Countries.

I underline the success in the combat against maritime piracy, in which Portugal currently commands the Atalanta Operation headed by the European Union.

Also in Afghanistan, as part of the “exit strategy” of the international coalition, the Portuguese Armed Forces are implementing a new configuration of the effectives, with emphasis on the training of local servicemen, in order to ensure a progressive transfer of security responsibilities to the Afghans themselves.

Servicemen,

Your determination and availability, your spirit of mission, are an unquestionable example of citizenry, of professionalism and dedication to the Homeland.

The times we live in are times of risks, uncertainties and challenges. But, in face of the difficulties, we cannot lose cohesion and the sense of community and solidarity. We cannot forget those that most need, such as we must not take a path of negativism, resignation or indifference.

Before you, as Supreme Commander, I wish to express to all servicemen my esteem and my trust for how responsibly you have interpreted the dimension and the feeling of being a Soldier of Portugal, demonstrating exemplary deportment and sense of duty. Remembering the courage of our forebears, we are going to transform a time of uncertainty into a time of hope and change, of true volition to construe a common destiny that, together, we shall achieve: the destiny of being Portugal.

Thank you