All the representatives of the Portuguese Defence present at AEDDays were unanimous for the need for “synergies” to exist between the civil and military sectors and national and foreign companies, with a view to increase the competitiveness of the cluster and the Portuguese economy.
“The Air Force needs to be empowered” – this is the conviction of the Portuguese Air Force Chief of Staff, General João Cartaxo Alves, noted during his speech at the 11th edition of the AEDDays, where he also advocated for the need to replace the current F-16s with F-35s.
As he explained, in an interview related with the conference, “this process is not just about replacing an aircraft but a capability” which “will require reshaping the new air defence operations.”
For the Portuguese Air Force Chief of Staff, “at this moment, updating operational systems with operational software and connectivity is critical. Either you have it, and you’re in the game, or you don’t, and you can’t guarantee resilience to conduct operations”, a statement further enhanced considering “the fragility and obsolescence of the current platform”.
For this modernization to materialize, General João Cartaxo Alves argues, “the entire national industry – manufacturing, maintenance, tech, and connectivity – must be engaged.” In this regard, he believes that “the sharing of experiences, knowledge, and information between national and foreign companies” at the AEDDays” allows for partnerships to be created, not only to respond to issues that are present in the aeronautical world, but also issues present in national companies.”
The Portuguese Army Chief of Staff, General Eduardo Mendes Ferrão, also highlighted the AEDDays as “fundamental”, not only for the Army to better know the national and international ecosystem, but to “create synergies among the various participants” with a view to “procure better products for the Army and significantly accelerate the creation of new products.”
In General Eduardo Mendes Ferrão’s opinion, these synergies can “create added value for Portugal” since “our companies may not always be large, but they have the knowledge, technology, expertise and entrepreneurship that should allow us to integrate large international consortiums.” An example of this, he notes, are specific recent vehicles purchased by the Army which “incorporate around 30% of national technology and components, especially in the composites area, where the Portuguese are innovators and leaders worldwide”.
From June 17th to July 5th, the Army will conduct the Artex 2024 exercise (Army Technological Experimentation), which involves carrying out trials with technological solutions with military applications, still in development.
According to the Portuguese Army Chief of Staff, this is an opportunity for the Army’s “research, development, and innovation capacities to interact with industry and academia,” with the Army’s ability to “provide an environment as close to operational as possible, so that industry and academia can test their systems”, to be “the added value”.
Often, the Army cannot keep the products it develops: “Many times, we can’t keep the product we develop ourselves and want. Due to public procurement rules, we have to go to international competitive bidding, and other companies can appear”.
Another issue highlighted by General Eduardo Mendes Ferrão was the need to “help our Industry”: “Our industrialists and entrepreneurs need help to know where to find the funds they can apply for within the EU, European Defence Agency and NATO universe.”
The Portuguese Navy Vice-Chief of Staff challenged national entrepreneurs to “review and update their attitude”, further noting “We are too used to state funding and subsidies, and this needs to change. Our entrepreneurs need to be willing to take risks and leap forward. We need to be proactive in this regard.”
Regarding funding possibilities through the Military Programming Law (LPM), Vice-Admiral António Henriques Gomes noted that “public procurement rules are the rules defined by the state”, and as such, “there is nothing to contest” but he admits that there are “some excessive bureaucratic steps that can be improved to speed up project development”.
In his speech at the AEDDays, the Portuguese Navy Vice-Chief of Staff highlighted “the transformation journey” the Navy is undergoing, considering “the commitment to technology” and some “ambitious projects” including the modernization of five frigates and the purchase of 17 ships by 2030. However, he explained that “the needs of the Armed Forces are twice what the current LPM allocates,” and therefore it is only possible to “direct 5% to 10% of the Armed Forces – at most – for innovation and development.”
In the opinion of the Secretary of State for National Defence, “the current Military Programming Law has brought some significant opportunities for the defence industry.”
In her speech at the AEDDays, Ana Isabel Xavier stated that the “focus on the capabilities of the Armed Forces, investment in dual-use assets and innovation, as well as the stimulation of the national industry’s competitiveness, has contributed to this goal.” She added that “the LPM is a crucial tool to leverage the Defence industry”: “It has already been approved, it is in execution, and now it is a matter of implementing it to capitalize on all the opportunities that the LPM promotes”.
The Secretary of State for National Defence also stated that “the set of aeronautical, space, and defence industries, comprising 140 entities, represents a cluster of strategic importance for Portugal” with an “increasing weight in the national economy, especially in exports.”
In this sense, she argues that “our Defence industry – land, sea, air, space, cyberspace, and even stratosphere – needs to position itself competitively. That is, we need to leverage the economy and defence as a priority area, so that our investment and export capacity is more solid and robust.”
For this – Ana Isabel Xavier argues – the creation of “synergies” between “the different actors in this process” are necessary, to which events like the AEDDays contribute significantly: “Events like this, that bring together high-level national and international partners, with such significant economic competitiveness projection, are very important to showcase Portugal’s strategic assets, but also to get to know other partners and jointly project the national economy and defence.”