This information is contained in a memorandum signed by the Chief of Staff of the Air Force (CEMFA), General Cartaxo Alves, to which Lusa had access, addressed to the Minister of National Defense, Helena Carreiras, dated October 3, in which an overview of the situation regarding the "deficit of military personnel" is made.

According to a graph presented by the branch, in 2013 there were 5,900 military personnel and in 2022 the Air Force had a total of 4,767, making a difference of 1,133.

For 2023, the Air Force expects the number of existing personnel to fall to 4,569, which means a loss of 198.

The number of military personnel in the ranks, according to data presented by the branch since 2013, is always below the number of personnel authorized in decree-laws and the difference is “increasingly significant”.

“If the trend of departures observed over the last ten years continues, the gap between stocks and real needs will further worsen, in the order of 2,500 military personnel, in 2025, representing a deficit of 36%”, reads the text.

This trend, according to the document, has been worsening since 2018.

Through surveys, the reasons for their departure were indicated by personnel, “in order of valuation”, with “inadequate remuneration” at the top.

This is followed by the “degradation of working conditions” and the “reconciliation between personal/professional life and a military career”.