This Wednesday, the government will present the Action Plan for the Professionalization of the Military Service (PAPSM) for the coming years. The ceremony will take place at 10am at the National Defense Institute in Lisbon.
It is the second version of the document, after its creation in 2019, under the supervision of the former minister of portfolio, João Gomes Cravinho (current foreign minister). And a source from the Ministry of National Defense (MDN) tells DN: more than a new set of measures in itself, the new PAPSM is rather a rearrangement of the previous plan. Part of the justification lies in the period covered by the document presented in 2019. With the plan on hold for the next five years (until 2024), it has cushioned two pandemic years, with snap elections in between.
The goal is defined from the outset in the opening message, signed by Defense Minister Helena Carreiras: “We want to attract more and better, so that we can retain more and better. The consolidation of the current model of professionalization of military service will help strengthen our commitment and enhance the appreciation of those who voluntarily choose to join the armed forcesThis at a time when, according to the latest figures released by MDN to the Public, on April 9, the total force in Portugal is set at 26,957 soldiers. Of this number, 22,023 are in service.
In total, the document, to which DN had access, contains a set of 25 measures and 82 actions. As in the previous version, distribution takes place along three strategic axes (recruit, retain and replace) and a fourth (support). Compared to the 2019 plan, this is nine fewer measures. The result presented this Wednesday is the result of the “analysis and diagnosis” made on implementation through 2022, a source from the MDN explains.
In the series of 25 announced measures, there are some that, as DN knows, are already well advanced in the legislative process and practically formalized. This is the case of the measure providing for the establishment of a permanent staff in the air force, which was already foreseen in the previous PAPSM. However, there are measures that are new and target different dimensions, such as support for the army’s income (“by establishing programs to support the hiring and support of accommodation for young soldiers on a contract basis”, for example) or even the need to review the rules “regarding incapacity and incapacity for military service”, which have been in place for more than two decades.
Another Department of Defense priority enshrined in this plan is the need to focus on and change the approach to military service communications. After the previous plan was moved, this measure has already been partially applied in the latest competition processes for the armed forces, as reported by DN at the time. For example, in the case of the Air Force, advertisements were placed on YouTube and Spotify, with the aim of raising awareness of the opening of the tenders.
In addition, the Military Service Act (passed in 1999) is considered a priority for revision.
Armed Forces Internships Reviewed
Another focus of this plan is internships – curricular and professional – in the armed forces. Despite being a reality already present “in some areas of the Navy and Air Force”, the aim is now to refine the criteria for its implementation, not least because they are modalities that “remain consensus collect” in the Armed Forces. “The main change to the Plan was the addition of action A.1.5.3”, which according to an MDN source refers to the implementation of these traineeships in wording “with educational and training institutions”.
Despite the application period until 2025, some measures that will be implemented “with constant regularity” are not linked to this deadline. I.e: can extend beyond the legislature. According to the MDN, this does not mean that the measures will not be reviewed and adjusted over time. “In this sense, the institutionalization of structures such as the Military Observatory will allow timely monitoring of these matters in order to better inform and support the guardianship to take the most appropriate decisions in each case,” the ministry emphasizes.
With Valentina Marcelino
Source: DN
