Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Cartacho Alves warned the defense minister that the industry’s current personnel situation is “the most serious in 50 years,” warning that operational capabilities could be compromised.
“The current situation of Air Force personnel is without a doubt the most serious in the last fifty years,” reads a memo accessed by Lusa addressed to Secretary of National Defense Helena Carreiras dated October 3 and in which the Chief of Staff of the Air Force (CEMFA) reports on the situation with a “shortage of military personnel.”
João Cartacho Alves warns that “unless effective measures are taken that will clearly contribute to reversing the process of erosion of military personnel, the operational capacity of the Air Force and any ambitions to create new designated capabilities.”
“If the trend of attrition observed over the past ten years continues, the gap between stocks and actual needs will widen even further – about 2,500 troops in 2025, representing a shortfall of 36%,” the text says.
In an 11-page document addressed to Helena Carreiras, Cartacho Alves emphasizes that the current personnel shortage “poses a threat to the Air Force in the sense that it jeopardizes its capabilities in terms of formation, execution, sustainment and, in particular, the creation of new opportunities, highlighting the urgent need to turn this situation around.”
The military leader emphasizes that the “excessive accumulation” of functions and tasks, “caused by personnel shortages, leads to increased overload and wear and tear, increases the likelihood of human error and reduces the time effectively available to properly deepen each of the tasks.” assigned tasks.”
“Collectively, this can lead to a decrease in the quality of work performed and, as a result, to demotivation of the military. On the other hand, staffing shortages result in reduced training and competency capacity, again increasing operational and safety risks on the ground and in flight,” he warns.
Cartacho Alves adds that “persistent personnel shortages are directly reflected in lower operational readiness standards and unavailability of resources, which jeopardizes full mission accomplishment.”
“It is also important to emphasize that the increase in personnel will always be a continuous and lengthy process, given the current personnel shortage, and it is necessary to take concrete measures that can categorically reverse this reduction in the number of military personnel,” it said. text.