Valuing service and military talent is essential for national sovereignty and cohesion. In a global context of rapid technological transformation and competition for qualified talent, it becomes even more important to reinforce the role of people in the Armed Forces and recognize their contribution to the country’s development.
National Defense is based both on the quality of its resources and infrastructure, and on the value of the people who serve in the Armed Forces. To the east we see how the country’s collective determination and competence can sustain its sovereignty. The talent and determination of the military are critical factors of institutional effectiveness and resilience.
Retaining talent in the Armed Forces is a matter of sovereignty and continuity of service. Military talent reflects national potential and translates, in each generation, the capacity for innovation and resilience of Portuguese society.
The military profession is a school of life that teaches how to serve with courage, discernment and competence. If talent was once measured by duty and sacrifice, today it is also measured by the ability to innovate and create value.
The new generations seek a sense of mission and effective contribution. Defense’s challenge is to offer them a greater meaning: protecting lives, guaranteeing freedom and defending values. Innovation environments like exercise Robotic Experimentation and Protoyping with Maritime Unmanned Systemsthe NRP D. João II or the Navy Operational Experimentation Center (CEOM) are technological instruments and, simultaneously, spaces for attracting and retaining talent. When a young person recognizes that their work contributes to the security and progress of the country, the bond with the institution deepens.
Institutional communication must reinforce the sense of belonging and mission, accompanying the purpose with real opportunities for growth. Permanence depends on the perception of the future and recognition. Flexible careers, which integrate operational, technical and innovation functions, strengthen motivation. Experiences in technological units, such as CEOM, should be valued as contributions to the Defense of the future.
Civil-military mobility represents an opportunity for dual development and sharing of knowledge. The participation of military personnel in technological or academic projects reinforces an integrated and collaborative Defense. Progression should reward merit, creativity and responsibility, adjusting compensation in critical areas, such as cybersecurity or Artificial Intelligence (AI), to ensure proximity to the civilian context and promote retention.
The transformation of the Armed Forces requires efficient management of support areas, freeing up resources for nuclear missions. The outsourcing of services, when under military direction, does not reduce sovereignty, but expands it, making internal knowledge a driver of efficiency. On the other hand, outsourcing does not replace military skills, but frees them, focusing them where it matters most. As with other European forces, intelligent management of skills is essential. Each soldier is a unique asset, and the integration of their capabilities generates collective impact. Mapped and coordinated, they become organizational strength and a factor of superiority.
Career, mobility, specialization and resource management converge on the same objective: transforming the military career into a path of continuous appreciation, where serving the country and personal growth become inseparable dimensions.
In the current technological context, knowledge is sovereignty. Continuous training in AI, data science, cybersecurity, robotics and innovation management must be structured in a Defense Innovation Campuscoordinated with universities and technology centers, to consolidate a multidisciplinary skills base. Technological innovation, no matter how advanced it may be, only translates into real capacity when there is human talent capable of interpreting, integrating and applying it operationally.
Technical and human training reinforces citizenship and the contract between the State and the individual. Strategic leadership must value and develop talent, promoting a culture of recognition and close monitoring. Structured mentoring programs help young people build purpose and belonging. Institutional prestige is reinforced daily, as distinctions such as the Navy Innovation Award value human capital and collective work.
It is necessary to foster national awareness about the value of military talent. Recruitment by third parties is not facilitated if there is public recognition that the human capital trained in the Armed Forces is a national asset. Valuing the military is valuing the citizen who protects the common good. The loss of qualified staff implies the loss of accumulated operational, scientific and organizational knowledge, compromises strategic autonomy, generates external dependence and impacts the country’s international credibility. Each soldier also represents a public investment in technical and human skills of high economic value, the loss of which weakens not only Defense, but also the country’s competitive and technological capacity. Talent retention is, therefore, a matter of sovereignty.
Quality of life must be part of the equation by guaranteeing stability, family support and a balance between demand and dignity, reinforcing the sense of loyalty. Salary appreciation, adjusted to qualifications and responsibility, is decisive for motivation and retention. Preparing the transition to civilian life, valuing military experience as leadership and knowledge capital, demonstrates institutional maturity and respect. A soldier who feels this recognition remains out of conviction and commitment. This balance between those who serve and those who are served forms the basis of the relationship of trust between the State and its military.
Recognition and support for those who serve are the basis of trust between the Nation and its servants. Without trust, there is no continuity or future. Just like technology, means and infrastructures, talent is a strategic capability – perhaps the most decisive of all. Investing in talent and valuing military service guarantees the continuity and credibility of the Armed Forces, ensuring national sovereignty and resilience.
With the Technology, Sea and Defense trilogy, we sought to reflect three inseparable dimensions of national sovereignty: technological capacity as an instrument of autonomy, the sea as a natural space for strategic affirmation and human talent as a factor of resilience. These three axes – technological, maritime and human – support Portugal’s relevance as an Atlantic, European and Global Nation.
Commander, Chief of the Armada General Staff Innovation Division