Military of Portugal
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The Portuguese Armed Forces (Portuguese: Forças Armadas Portuguesas or FAP) are divided into three branches:
In the 20th century, Portugal had only two major military interventions, the first one in the 1st World War and the other between 1961 and 1974 in the former colonial territories of Angola, Mozambique and Guinea-Bissau, the colonial war, that killed and wounded large thousands of Portuguese men, devastated the Portuguese society that continues paying the bill, even today.
Since 2003, the military service is optional. Portugal has military involved in several peacekeeping missions abroad, like INTERFER and UNTAET in East-Timor, MINURSO in Western Sahara, EUFOR in Bosnia and KFOR in Kosovo.
The last government spent large amounts of money in the modernization of the Armed Forces, in an action that created much controversy, the main one was the acquisition of 3 new submarines.
Military branches:
Army, Navy (includes Marines), Air Force, National Republican Guard
Military manpower - military age: 20 years of age
Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49:
2,534,872 (2000 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49:
2,036,712 (2000 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males:
74,050 (2000 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $2.458 billion (FY97)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 2.6% (FY97)
References and Links
- Portugal
- Portuguese Air Force (http://www.emfa.pt/)
- Portuguese Army (http://www.exercito.pt/)
- Portuguese Ministry of Defense (http://www.mdn.gov.pt/)
- Portuguese National Republican Guard (http://www.gnr.pt/) (technically military branch, but functionally a police force)
- Portuguese Navy (http://www.marinha.pt/)
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