It’s at countdown to exit from General Commander of the GNR, Lieutenant General Rui Cleroin office since July 2020, due to reaching the deadline for the rank of general officer on 3 December.
The moment, which will happen in the next few days, could be historicbecause it would be last army general to command this security force – an unprecedented situation in the European counterparts – and the giving way for the first time to one of the main generals of the Guard himself, with recognized qualifications and who have been waiting for this turning point for more than two decades.
But nothing indicates that this will happen, the passage of testimony has dragged on, even if it is one project idealized by the current Prime Minister, António Costawhen he was Minister of the Interior in 2007.
The “discomfort” of José Luís Carneiro
So far, at least, the current portfolio holder, José Luís Carneiro, has not called any of these general officers “house” and, when asked by DN, his spokesman does not explain why.
This is also the belief of the National Association of Watch Officers (ANOG) who has already questioned José Luís Carneiro twice on the subject and was surprised by the reaction and response.
“At the first meeting, in August, we felt one great inconvenience on the part of Mr. Minister of Internal Affairs when we asked him the question about the General Commander’s succession, which was whether, as we all expected, he would be one of the GNR generals who already have prerequisites for that nomination. He told us that the matter had already been settled”discussed in the board of directors”. We are very surprised that our generals have never been summoned and heard,” says the Lieutenant Colonel Feliciano Amaral, of ANOG🇧🇷
“During a second meeting, the most recent, on November 9, with other associations of the Guard, I insisted again. did not respond well, he again showed his discomfort and sent it back to the Supreme Court. We assume he meant the Supreme Council of the GNR and we went to inquire. To our surprise, we found out this topic was never discussed there🇧🇷 We fear that Mr. The minister may have been misinformed and that a decision is being made on the basis of incorrect assumptions,” the association leader assures.
The Ministry of the Interior (MAI) has not commented on this conclusion either. It neither confirms nor denies whether Santos Correia will be the next general commander.
Supreme Commander General in the long term?
If it happens, it will also be a matter sui generis: Since you will reach the age limit (62) in September 2023, you can only be in this Charging for 10 months.
“The merit of Mr. General is not at stake, who has already held several command positions in the GNR (e.g. Operation Commander and Commander of the Intervention Unit), but missions last three years🇧🇷 While we would prefer a GNR general to be appointed already, at least as a transitional phase, your 2nd commander should be on the watch”Amaral emphasizes.
Santos Correia held several command positions in the military, as General of the Army, such as Chief of Staff of the Land Forces Command and Commander of the Rapid Reaction Force.
Service missions performed with the United Nations Protection Force (UNPROFOR), in the former Yugoslavia; at the Permanent Mission of Portugal to the United Nations in New York; and the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan.
“Here everyone already assumed it would be him. A few days ago, during a ceremony, everyone saw that he was greeted and congratulated by several people,” admits a military source who observed the situation.
The generals that follow
The GNR, which once had 12 army generals in command positions, with the departure of Rui Clero, will only have two: Santos Correia and Maurício Raleiras, currently head of the Inspectorate of the Guard who could move up to number two.
GNR officers look at the PSP, where the top positions in the “house” have been for 10 years, and they find no explanation other than the “utility” to the military of this system that allows every time a general of yours goes to guard, opens a new place for another within the industry.
Straight away there are seven GNR generals who can reach the top of the country’s largest security force, with highlight for three of themthe first to be promoted to major general: Antonio Bogas, Paulo Silvério and Rui Ribeiro Veloso🇧🇷
Antonio Bogas currently commands the Administration and Internal Resources Command, is the oldest, ranked first in its course, went through all the financial and logistical structures of the GNR.
“It was a marathon. (…) Of course when we entered the Academy we knew this day could come, but I never made it a workhorse, although it was an assumed wish,” he told DN in a report when he entered the general officer promotion course.
Paulo Silverio is responsible for the intervention unit. He has extensive operational, planning and academic experience – he was the first Guard officer to teach at the Instituto de Estudos Superiores Militares (currently IUM) – nationally and internationally (Iraq and Timor).
“self-restraint, cool-blooded and serene energy”, “bravery and bravery in the face of danger”, “example of an exceptional commander” – characterizes him by the former Interior Minister, António Figueiredo Lopes, in the praise he bestowed on him for his mission in Iraq.
Ribeiro Velosois the current Operations Commander of the GNR (instead), he was involved in the creation of the Intervention, Protection and Relief Group, which he commanded until 2021.
He began his military career in training for militia officers at the Special Operations Instruction Center in Lamego.
Commanded the Carcavelos Transit Detachment; he was a trainer at police schools in Mozambique, Guinea-Bissau and São Tomé and Príncipe; he was a security officer for the Portuguese national team at Euro 2004, he was a professor at the Academia Militar, at Escola da Guarda and at the Instituto Universitário Militar.
Source: DN
