the NRP ship [Navio da República Portuguesa] Monday is again at the center of controversy, 16 days after a group of 13 soldiers refused to carry out a mission to escort a Russian ship, citing a lack of security conditions. This time the destination was the Selvagens Islands, in the Madeira archipelago.
In a statement, the Marine Command of the Maritime Zone of Madeira confirmed that “the NRP Monday left yesterday [segunda-feira] at 22:20 from the port of Funchal”, aiming to “surrender the Maritime Police and elements of the Institute of Forest and Nature Conservation in the Selvagens Islands”. Butcontinues the note, “for technical reasons” the ship returned early yesterday morning to the port of Caniçal, “safely”. According to the same note, a “technical inspection by ship management experts” would be scheduled for this Tuesday, who would travel to Madeira for this. Also according to the Naval Command of the Maritime Zone of Madeira, the surrender of the elements of the Selvagens Islands was ensured by the NRP setubal.
Following the case, Defense Minister Helena Carreiras confirmed that “there was, in fact, a technical problem” that was being evaluated. However, he declined to comment until the conclusions of the ship’s analysis were known. “There is a Navy technical team conducting the assessment and we are waiting for that assessment to make a statementshe told Lusa, on the sidelines of the National Defense and Equality Award ceremony. Despite the publicized cases pointing to several errors, the person in charge of the Defense portfolio felt there was no need to speak of a collapse, recalling that the Navy fulfilled their missions “and with enormous success”.
In addition, the minister assured, preserving military assets is a priority for the government, which has already submitted to parliament the new law on military programming (LPM), which provides for an increase in resources. Only the navy is entitled to 1.7 billion euros. Therefore he said, the government “works actively so that funds are put to good use in favor of modernization and conservation of resources”. “It is therefore this action that is being taken and it is this competence that I must ensure, so that our military assets can be put at the service of the various missions of the armed forces in complete safety,” he concluded.
The same argument was also used by António Costa. At the beginning of his intervention at the end of the PS parliamentary days, the prime minister emphasized the importance not only of the LPM, but also of the Law on Military Infrastructure, another government diploma already in the Assembly of the Republic. António Costa spoke before his party’s delegates this last law will “make it possible to improve the conditions of service to all” those who do so in the context of the armed forces. In addition, he stressed, “it will allow better management of state assets allocated to National Defense,” which could be used in other contexts, such as public housing, for example.
The situation strengthens the alertness of the 13 soldiers
Remember, on March 11, 13 soldiers from the NRP Mondego garrison refused to board the ship out of concern for the ship’s safety. In an open letter, the military stated that an engine and one of the ship’s generators were not working and that the sewage system for storing oily waste was inadequate. However, they were removed and could face jail terms for crimes such as insubordination or usurpation of office (the decision rested with the officers, not sergeants or enlisted men).
However, the associations representing these last two ranks argued that Monday’s episode ultimately played a role in amplifying the “warning cry” of the 13 soldiers. Referring to Lusa, the president of the Praças Association, Paulo Amaral, said that these “technical reasons” confirm that “it did not go well” when the army refused to board. “It was confirmed that the ship’s safety conditions were in fact unsuitable for navigating any mission, whatever that may be.”
For António Lima Coelho, president of the National Association of Sergeants (ANS), this latest case was “a confirmation of the warning cry of the 13 sailors”. Speaking to DN on March 15, Lima Coelho said the military disguised the lack of conditions “out of love for the shirt” and with some “miracles”. “We have been warning for a long time about the lack of conditions. There are more and more missions and fewer resources and people,” he warned at the time.
Despite the criticism and accusations against the military’s actions, the ANS president said on Tuesday it was “an attitude of great responsibility, courage and great dignity”. “If we had said it on the 11th, today [podemos dizer] with more certainty, with more decency, that those men didn’t just do what they did, or just because they felt like it. They were clearly aware of the state of the equipment,” he stressed.
For example, the person responsible assumed that he would like some commentators to return to their reactions to the actions of the 13 soldiers. What about Admiral Gouveia e Melo, Chief of Staff of the Navy, who criticized the military? “I hope to see from the admiral an attitude consistent with what we are experiencing. Just as the admiral understood to do what he was doing at the time, I hope that in the same way he understands and says what he understands, but that will to the Admiral.”
Source: DN
