Portugal to expand Armed Forces by up to 25%

The Portuguese government is set to approve a new decree-law allowing the Armed Forces to increase personnel numbers by more than 25%, raising the maximum number of military personnel that can be recruited to almost 31,000.

Defence Minister Nuno Melo announced the measure today (Thursday) following a meeting of NATO defence ministers in Brussels, describing it as a key step towards strengthening Portugal’s military capabilities.

“While we are speaking, the new personnel decree-law is being approved by the Council of Ministers,” Melo told journalists. “It will increase the number of military personnel who can be recruited for the Armed Forces to figures close to 31,000.”

Portugal currently has 24,517 serving military personnel, according to figures released by the minister in April. Reaching the new target of around 30,800 troops would represent a 25.6% increase in staffing levels.

Melo said the government’s immediate priority was to ensure the Armed Forces have the capacity to grow, while continuing efforts to improve recruitment and retention.

“When this government took office in 2024, recruitment and retention figures had been falling consistently since 2015,” he said, accusing previous Socialist administrations of reducing military numbers from nearly 29,000 personnel to around 23,000.

The minister argued that measures introduced over the past two years have already begun to reverse that trend. These include improvements to pay scales, additional allowances and support aimed at addressing housing challenges faced by military personnel.

“The fact is that there has been a reversal in recruitment and retention figures,” Melo said.

Despite the recent improvements, current personnel numbers remain well below the legal target of 32,000 military staff by 2028.

Melo acknowledged that reaching the new goal would require further investment and a continued focus on identifying barriers to military service.

“It is necessary to grow to a desirable figure of 30,800 military personnel during this cycle,” he said.

Under Portugal’s Organic Law on the Organisation of the Armed Forces, military staffing levels must be set every three years through a decree-law proposed by the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, following consultation with the chiefs of the Army, Navy and Air Force.

However, the decree currently in force covers the 2022-2024 period. Although a new decree was published in May 2025, it continued to reference the previous staffing framework.

The updated legislation is expected to provide the legal basis for a long-term expansion of Portugal’s Armed Forces as NATO allies continue to increase defence spending and reinforce military readiness across Europe.

Source: Lusa/Eco

Inês Lopes

Newspaper editor at The Portugal Resident