Prime Minister António Costa on Wednesday highlighted the “8.3% increase” envisaged in the government’s proposal for the 2023 state budget (OE2023), focusing “mainly on capital expenditure”, which with “25, 5%” grow.
“More than a commitment to increase our defense budget with NATO, we have a commitment to the national interest to strengthen investment in defense, to better serve the national interest”said the head of government on Wednesday, at Air Force Base No. 11 (BA11) in Beja.
According to António Costa, the OE2023″on which the Assembly of the Republic will begin its discussion, therefore, foresees a reinforcement of the defense budget program of 8.3%, in proportion to what is planned to be implemented in the year 2022″.
“It is a reinforcement primarily focused on capital spending, growing at 25.5%, strengthening our ability to equip our armed forces for the new realities of their missions, from the cyber defense field to the equipment needs of the three branches of the armed forces”he emphasized.
The Prime Minister spoke at the ceremony for the presentation of the first national aircraft KC-390, held at BA11.
The first KC-390 aircraft, of the five that Portugal bought from the Brazilian company Embraer, arrived on Sunday at this airbase, the new ‘home base’ of these aircraft, the Portuguese Air Force said.
In a statement on its website that day, the Air Force said the aircraft arrived “accompanied by two F-16M BA11s.
Before the delivery of the aircraft to the Air Force, “the integration of NATO equipment and certified by the National Aeronautical Authority” will now be carried out, according to the same information, also shared on social networks with video images of the arrival of the new aircraft.
Source: DN
