The Prime Minister’s new Chief of Staff, Major General Tiago de Almeida e Vasconcelos, will defend his dissertation this Thursday at the Higher Institute of Social and Political Sciences (ISCSP) on the theme “The Construction of the European Union’s Strategic Culture – Security Threats and Strategic Autonomy”.
Tiago Vasconcelos is mentored by Hector Romanaprofessor of Strategic Studies at ISCSP, current advisor to the Minister of the Interior, José Luís Carneirowho had a professional career in information services, where he became Deputy National Director.
According to the information collected by DN, the major general in the thesis will try to improve the transformation of the EU into a political center with its own strategic cultureidentifying the main obstacles facing this possibility, such as the many differences between Member States.
The defense of the thesis will take place this morning at the faculty, before a jury led, as usual, by the chairman of the Scientific Council, the professor Manuel Meirinho Martins. In addition to Heitor Romana, Carla Guapo da Costa and José Fontes Castelo Branco are also part of the jury for the doctoral examinations.
With this thesis approved, the major general who chose António Costa to replace Vítor Escária was detained in “Influencer” operationwho conducts research into suspected corruption and influence peddling, will obtain a PhD in Social Sciences, specializing in Strategic Studies.
Controversial promotion and the Tancos memo
According to you official curriculum as stated in the appointment decision for the chief of staff, this general officer is a master of strategy and has a postgraduate degree in “Modern China”, both by ISCSP, where it already is visiting assistant professor of Strategy at ISCSP degree in International Relations.
He was military advisor to António Costa since 2018a position to which he was invited shortly afterwards, after seeing his promotion to the highest position in the Armed Forces hierarchy, Lieutenant General, ‘failed’ by the Office of the Attorney General, following the outcome of a controversial case reported by DN in 2017.
Returned from Valencia, Spain, where he was stationed headquarters of NATO’s Rapid Reaction Army Corps, as second commanderhad been appointed Deputy for Planning and Coordination of the General Staff of the Armed Forces (EMGFA).
Since he had reached the age to become a reserve, he should be promoted to lieutenant general (three stars), which was the intention of the EMGFA.
However, before the process is completed, one more Major General Rui Mouramore modern, who was placed in the GNR, expecting to be passed over for promotion, asked to be transferred to the reserve, automatically putting Tiago Vasconcelos in that position.
Rui Moura’s initiative surprised the EMGFA, led at the time by Pina Monteiro, who tried to build an administrative scenario to maintain Vasconcelos’ promotion.
As DN said, a retroactive dismissal from another general, by change an internal service order twice signed by him, to simulate that he had previously made reservations and created a new vacancy for promotion.
a file a complaint with the Public Prosecution Service on suspicion of fraud and abuse of power, where the EMGFA refuted that there was “no benefit and/or damage” nor “violation of legal regulations” and that the above-mentioned vacancy had already been filled since the beginning of 2017 (which was not stated in the legal decree that the number of permanent soldiers ). As for the “corrections” in the service order, he claimed that they were “purely administrative acts.”
However, with the pressure from the media and parliament, mainly through the PCP who questioned then Defense Minister Azeredo Lopes eventually provided clarification to the military.
The then head of the department, General Rovisco Duarte, subsequently asked the Office of the Attorney General (PGR) for advice, on the recommendation of the minister, after saying in parliament that he found the EMGFA’s explanation “satisfactory” .
The advice was negative in November 2017 and approved by Azeredo Lopes. At that time, Tiago Vasconcelos had been in the reserve for eleven months, which was suspended (“suspended” in military terminology), a situation that the PCP emphasized could only happen if there was a vacancy for the promotion in question, which was not true.
Tiago Vasconcelos’ transition to the reserve should have taken place last year, as soon as he returned from Valencia, as he had reached the time limit on the post (six years after promotion to major general).
Unable to continue in the position of assistant planning officer, the major general was still inspector general of the army until 2018, when Costa invited him as his advisor.
In this place followed the Tancos case and received the memo referencing the staging and cover-up of the recovery of the stolen material. When questioned at parliament’s investigative committee, he stated that he had seen no “evidence of any crime”.
Source: DN
