In an eight-page speech, to which DN had access, the Chief of Staff of the Navy (CEMA), Gouveia e Melo, spoke face to face with the soldiers of the NRP (Portuguese Republic Ship) Mondego garrison and made it clear that he will not forgive “undisciplined” nor the damage done to the image of the Navy and the country.
In an emotional tone typical of him, Gouveia e Melo did not fail to reveal the sadness that the situation caused him and recalled that he himself knows the difficulties of a sailor’s life and better than anyone the lack of maintenance of its ships.
“On March 11, last Saturday, soldiers from the NRP Mondego were trained on this pier, who refused to board and to comply with the legitimate orders of their command, preventing the ship from carrying out the mission determined by the Navy. This act, which, as a commander of the Navy, deeply saddens me, once reached there is no turning back, it is as if it has taken on a life of its own, a substance that can no longer be ignored. The navy knew about it, the country knew about it, our allies will surely hear about it sooner or later. So, because of its magnitude and significance, it is something that can never be ignored and forgotten,” said CEMA.
Gouveia e Melo knows “that operating in the inhospitable environment, the sea, and being confined in tight spaces is a challenge, it is a daily battle, which can only be won with a true calling”. “I know, because I am one of you,” he insisted.
He acknowledged that that ship “has performed countless missions and is therefore naturally subject to the trials and challenges” he described.
However, he emphasized that “a soldier on a warship is not distinguished from a crewman on a merchant ship by his qualities as a sailor, as these are important and fundamental to both, but precisely by his military qualities”. One of them, “is undoubtedly discipline”.
AND on discipline, CEMA pointed out that it is part of those values ”timeless and immutable in their deepest core, a core that can never be questioned under the danger of the collapse of the military edifice itself”.
In a series of rhetorical questions, he analyzed the military’s decision. “Is this act done because of unlawful orders? Against our laws? Against our oath? Against our democracy? Against human decency? Against our people? What was really at stake to justify such an extreme and final act? I was told that the cause was the fear that the NRP Mondego would not be able to carry out its assigned mission, further endangering the lives of the soldiers in the garrison. Was this assessment made by those who had a duty to do so? Who had the authority and responsibility for this? “
The answer, said Gouveia e Melo “is a resounding no!” The commander recalled “ultimately responsible for the safety of his unit, what he said is that despite the fact that it was limited and under the conditions in which the mission was assigned, the NRP Mondego would be ready to carry it out.
CEMA stated that the 13 soldiers “replaced the officers on board, the chain of command and the commander himself and, while claiming custody of the garrison and of the ship, decided with their action to prevent the NRP from sailing Mondego and to mission More, showed that they did not trust the judgement, ability and knowledge of the respective commander and command line. Anyway in this review dragged on, attributing to them the burden of incompetence, lack of custody and inability to assess the situation, maintenance and operating structures technically supervising and respectively commanding the ships at sea”.
“Frankly, I can’t understand you nor understand your motivations and certainly your peculiar interpretation of the duty of guardianship and discipline,” he claimed.
“The Navy does not send our ships and crews on impossible missions. Nor do we endanger our garrisons in a useless, light, irresponsible or even ignorant way. We are an organization with 706 years of history and organizational culture, and we are not aware of any incidents of accidents due to poor maintenance or poor assessments of the safety of our vessels and respective capabilities. We care about our women and men, but we also make it clear that we give everything and go that extra mile where necessary.”
Gouveia e Melo has not failed to acknowledge this “the powers being set up are aware of the actual state of the Navyas we have never failed in our duty to inform the rights holders in a clear and transparent manner, with diligence and vehemence,” referring to the custody of the Ministry of National Defense.
“Am I happy with the state of the police station? No! If we all work hard to change that state of affairs? Yes!”, pointed out.
In his speech, he also left a warning about the time it may take to recover the ships. “Can the status of the squadron change instantly? No! It will take a lot of effort from everyone, a lot of imagination, determination, patience and dedication. We are all committed and here I necessarily take on Guardianship. Are the resources sufficient? My answer is simple and I say to all of you, sailors of our navy: they are the ones that the country can put at our disposal and with whom we will do our best to guarantee Portugal the “use” of the sea”.
It is recalled that after the incident, the navy announced that it would continue disciplinary processes for the army and ordered an inspection of the security conditions of the NRP Mondego.
Among several technical limitations invoked by the military was the failure of an engine and electric power generator.
The navy, meanwhile, confirmed that the NRP Mondego had “a malfunction in one of its engines”, but pointed out that warships “can operate in a very degraded mode with no safety implications” as they have “very complex systems and very redundant” . .
Source: DN
