2011-01-31, Profissionalização FA_em ingles

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Ministry for National Defence

Directorate-General of Military Recruitment and Personnel

Avenida Ilha da Madeira, N 1 - 4 Piso 1400-204 LISBOA Tel: (+351) 213 010 001 / 213 011 173E-mail: [email protected] Fax: (+351) 213 013 037

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The Profissionalization of the Portuguese Armed Forces

1. Contextualization

Within the Ministry for National Defence, the Directorate-General of Military

Recruitment and Personnel is the organism whose mission is to develop, harmonize

and provide technical definition of policies and their implementation regarding

Human Resources needed for National Defence, and the support for veterans.

Regarding the Military Service Law, the Directorate-General is the also theorganism that plans, manages and coordinates the recruitment process for the

required military personnel, with the objective to act on before, during and after their

military service.

In the last 35 years, the Portuguese Armed Forces went thought a profound

transformation in its structure.

In 1974, Portugal held a 3 front war, in its former colonies (Angola, Mozambique

and Guinea), with 150 000 soldiers.

Soon after the Carnation Revolution in 1974 and with the end of the war, reforms on

the military structure would then start which would end in the professionalization of

the Armed Forces, 30 years later.

In 1987, the first transformation on the military service model was the reduction of

the conscription period from 12 to 15 months in the Army and from 18 to 20 months

in the Navy and in the Air Force. This Military Service Law alteration also permitted

that women could render military service voluntarily.

Four years later, in 1991, a new alteration was made to this law, creating the

possibility for a citizen to render service in two new forms, the contract regimen and

the volunteer regimen, and reducing the conscription period to 4 months. This gave

way to a mix system of military service, new to this day.


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2. From the abolition of conscription to National Defence Day

In 1997, peacetime conscription was removed from the Portuguese Constitution,

being the first significant step towards the professionalization

Therefore, in 1999, the new model of military service was completely implemented

and a transition period was settled for the termination of the conscription structure.

Finally, in September of 2004, the structure of the Portuguese Armed Forces was

based on a voluntary system, but with the possibility to summon or mobilize citizens

in extraordinary situations defined by law.

These changes meant also the lost of connections held between the military

institution and citizens witch forced the creation of others means to reach them and

other modifications to the recruitment system to guarantee the required number of

personnel to the fulfilment of the Armed Forces missions.

One of these modifications was the National Defence Day.

3. National Defence Day

National Defence Day is a military obligation to all citizens (female citizens since11th May 2010), with the objective to inform about National Defence and promote

the role of the Armed Forces, responsible for the military defence of our Nation.

The citizens are called-up while they are 18 years old, to one of 12 National

Defence Day Centres held thought the country in military units.

Lectures about national defence, the armed forces, ways to serve the country and

some military activities demonstrations are just some of the activities they have

during this day.

National Defence Day is a successful project in various levels, as we can state in

the most recent inquiries, held in between September to December 2010:

47.791 citizens called-up;

About 84% attendances, concerning all called-up citizens by letter

65% liked or liked very much;

65% changed in a positive way their opinion about the Armed Forces


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33% consider the possibility of joining the Armed Forces

5% filled the pre-candidateship form concerning the contractual and volunteer

regimens

4. Military Recruitment

In the recruitment system, there are two main entities: the Directorate-General of

Military Recruitment and Personnel, the head organism for the planning,

coordination and management of the military recruitment process, and the threebranches of the Armed Forces, through their own respective recruitment organisms,

collaborates its planning and execution.

The first activity of the military recruitment is the registration of all citizens in the

year they reach their 18 birthday, so that the system can monitor the fulfilment of

their military obligation until they reach 35 years old.

In the beginning of 2009, it was established a model of intervention thought a

network system shared with several public organisms in witch the military census

became automatic and the necessity of the intervention of citizens in providingupdated personal information was eliminated.

The recruitment is divided in three different forms of military service:

The normal recruitment, to obtain personnel for the contract or volunteer regimens,

for a period no longer than 6 years of service, although recently, a new regimen was

approved, in order to retain from 8 up to 18 years militaries with specific functions.

The special recruitment, to obtain the necessary human resources for regular

service (permanent carriers).

And exceptional recruitment, to obtain the required military personnel to 2

situations, Summoning and Mobilization.


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5. Recruitment, Retention and Reintegration

The current professionalization model sets in three main structures: Recruitment,

Retention and Reintegration.

The purpose of these structures is, firstly, to obtain qualified and skilful military

personnel. Secondly, to apply specific measures to maintain theses militaries the

largest period of time possible. And thirdly, to reintegrate all contract militaries in the

labour market.

This model is supported and validated by several studies conducted with

universities. Its aim is also to determinate possible and necessary adjustments. For

example, these studies can indicate the three main motivations to apply to the

armed forces are: the challenge and the adventure, the possibility to acquire

professional qualification and the possibility to participate in peace keeping

operations.

With the end of the conscription system, mechanisms were created to incentive

young people to apply to military service and to maintain their position for as long as

possible.

These mechanisms perform in 5 main areas:

Support for Obtaining Academic Qualifications;

Support for Training and Professional Certification;

Financial and Material Compensation;

Support for Reintegration into the labour market;

Social Care.


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6. Centre for Information and Guidance for Training and

Employment

In this scenario, the Directorate-General raised the Centre for Information and

Guidance for Training and Employment (CIOFE) intended to support the military

and former military personnel in their transition to civilian labour market, by a set of

services and tools available.

Its mission is fulfilled within five main areas:

Information concerning educational offers and incentives from witch they

can benefit from;

Guidance concerning the choice of a personal project in terms of

education and professional future;

Training concerning administrative steps militaries have to perform to their

discharge, developing methods and study habits, learning and perfecting

new skills in an active search for employment and the creation of their own

job position;

Employment concerning adequate job offers, to promote their curriculum,

to organize Professional internships, and to accompany their process in Job

searching.

With these measures, we are acting along the Retention structure by informing

about all the incentives they are entitled to, and at the same time we are improving

the Reinsertion with the cooperation with strategic partners in the labour market,and when necessary providing them with professional qualification.

Ultimately, we end up maximizing the recruitment structure by reinforcing the

institutional image of the Armed Forces in the future.

Associated to these measures, the professionalization process of the Armed Forces

is supported by promotional and informational events concerning the Armed Forces


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in several areas, developed by each one of the Branches, coordinated by thisDirectorate-General.

7. Some numbers

At last, we present you some numbers concerning our military personnel:

On the 31st December 2010, the total number of militaries in active duty was of

38.743.

From these, 18.294 are regulars while 15.235 are militaries in the contract regimen,

and 14% are military females (a total of 5.408).

Documents

2011-01-31, Profissionalização FA_em ingles