Speech by the President of the Government - Communication

Presidência do Governo Regional

Full text of the speech delivered on Wednesday by the President of the Government, José Manuel Bolieiro, in Ponta Delgada, at the formal opening session of the 9th Security and Defence Intensive Course (CISEDE):

“It is a pleasure to be here with you at this formal opening session of yet another Security and Defence Intensive Course, which the National Defence Institute has once again, and quite rightly, decided to hold in the Azores.

Once again, you are most welcome.

This is certainly no coincidence.

The previous courses held here were a success, and this one also has everything it takes to be successful.

The Autonomous Region of the Azores is not just a place. It is much more than that.

With its political autonomy, it has its own powers, exercised by its own governing bodies.

It is within this framework that we take action, in the certainty that the exercise of political power is effective and reasonable when considered in the light of the principle of subsidiarity.

Consequently, your close contact with our national and regional reality enables us all to grasp the potential of this political, legal, geographical and strategic reality.

As such, even in matters that fall within the competence of the sovereign bodies of the National Government, regional bodies must also be taken into account.

We will always be available to propose, cooperate, and provide the entire country with additional resources and means, both existing and to be installed, to reinforce its strategic relevance within the European Union and NATO.

The collaboration between governments at multiple levels, such as in the Portuguese State and the European Union, greatly enhances our participation and Portuguese contributions to NATO and the world.

This ninth intensive course, in our view, comes at a time when, for the West, the Atlantic is once again, beyond a geographical space, a decisive strategic axis for global balance.

We are living in a time of profound change in geopolitics, the nature of threats, and the way democracies organise themselves to protect their values, territories and laws.

It seems that our greatest certainty corresponds to the extent of our future uncertainties, which are already present.

The Azores, in the heart of the Atlantic, have a unique geostrategic position. We are a physical and symbolic bridge between Europe and America.

Discussing defence and security involves viewing the Atlantic as a key reference point in transatlantic relations and global affairs.

Our own geography gives us responsibility and opportunity.

We know this well: the Atlantic can and should be regarded as a space of security.

The North Atlantic is now a corridor for maritime and air routes, an energy supply route, a platform for submarine communication cables, and a critical border for migratory flows and the projection of forces.

Competition among major powers plays out here: over the ability to control maritime spaces, protect critical infrastructures, and guarantee freedom of navigation and overflight.

When discussing energy security, food security, data protection or climate change, the Atlantic is also discussed.

Security, beyond the purely military perspective of war, is also considered a matter for ports, airports, satellites, universities and research centres. Today, the sea is both a frontier of risk and a reserve for the future.

Consequently, there is an obvious understanding of the dual use of the various infrastructures that have been installed or are to be installed.

We are well aware that, in its relations with the world and its transatlantic relations, the U.S. administration is undergoing a period of internal redefinition, subject to strong political pressures and global challenges ranging from strategic competition with China to the war in Europe.

The United States remains the central pillar of Western collective defence, but the message is clear: Europe must take greater responsibility for its own security.

NATO remains indispensable. Nevertheless, the European Union must strengthen its capacity for action, invest, and take action in the field of security and defence.

This means developing its own capabilities, increasing interoperability between Member States, and improving the coordination of civilian and military instruments.

For the Azores, this represents an opportunity: a point of convergence between the Atlantic presence of NATO, the consolidation of Europe as a credible strategic actor, and the relations with our ally, the United States of America.

The Azores are not just a remote economic and social outpost of Europe.

They are also a hub connecting three continents: Europe, America and Africa. Their location gives them a unique role in three key areas.

Logistical and operational support for allied forces. Historically, this has mainly been through the Lajes Air Base. Still, we can add even more value.

In this context, Lajes Base is much more than just a military infrastructure: it is an air transport hub, a potential search and rescue operations centre, a support point for maritime patrol missions, and a key asset in any crisis scenario in the Atlantic. Its modernisation, reconfiguration, and better use are a matter of security, but also one of regional development.

When we talk about strengthening our presence in the Atlantic, we are talking about dual-use infrastructures: military and civil.

I would like to mention a few examples of strategic investment that can reconcile territorial cohesion with defence and security.

The modernisation and specialisation of Azorean ports to provide logistical support for military vessels, ocean research and the blue economy.

The progressive installation of a Space Technology Centre in the Azores, in the best possible global location, Santa Maria.

The strengthening of maritime surveillance with air and naval resources and remote observation systems, supported by command centres based on the islands.

The expansion of fibre optic networks and secure communications, crucial both for defence operations and for the regional digital economy.

The development of data centres, climate monitoring and early warning systems for extreme weather events.

Every euro invested in space technology and resources, airports, ports, submarine cables and command centres in the Azores is also an investment in European security, competitiveness and territorial cohesion.

The logic must be clear: what protects also develops; what strengthens the military must, whenever possible, strengthen local communities socially and economically.

Territorial cohesion is not just a chapter in development policy; it is a pillar of security. Isolated territories, poorly serviced by infrastructures, with little connectivity and few economic opportunities, are more vulnerable to social unrest, external dependence and loss of human capital.

In the case of the Azores, reconciling defence investments with better internal and external mobility, with more regular and reliable transport services, with reliable access to energy and modern communications, with highly specialised employment opportunities in the maritime economy, science and technology fields, are all assets that turn the strategic function of the islands into a return of well-being and development for the Azorean residents.

In fact, any defence strategy ignoring people is doomed to weaken in the medium term.

The Atlantic is also a major laboratory for innovation.

In our view, Portugal, the European Union and NATO need to look to the Azores as a comprehensive platform for modernity and empowerment.

Among so many opportunities, a platform for ocean renewable energy; marine biotechnology; climate research, including the study of ocean currents, ocean acidification and impacts on ecosystems; and the development of surveillance and monitoring technologies, from maritime drones to satellites.

A European centre of excellence in space technology and the blue economy, based in the Azores, would simultaneously serve the purposes of competitiveness, environmental sustainability and security.

Because protecting the ocean also means protecting resources, supply chains and the very sustainability of the planet.

All of these are crucial factors in achieving our ambitious but achievable goal of transforming Portugal into a region of opportunities for a better future in a better world.  

It is our understanding that the European Union and European NATO member states must invest more and better in defence capabilities; they must promote a solid European technological and industrial base for defence; they must coordinate their security policy with cohesion, energy, climate action and digital policies; and they must acknowledge the value of outermost regions as "outposts" of European security.

The Azores are a clear example of this vision: both a frontier and a bridge, a border and a platform, they are the place where it becomes clear that European security begins far beyond the continent itself.

Ladies and gentlemen,

The strength of Europe will not come solely from its armed forces or its treaties, but from the consistency between what it says and what it does: between its ambition to be a global player and the way it treats its most distant territories; between its rhetoric on the Atlantic and its actual investments in the Atlantic; between its statements on security and the instruments it puts at the service of peace.

The Azores can be – and should be – an example of this consistency: a territory where geography becomes strategy, where security and defence lead to development, and where territorial cohesion is recognised as a condition for security and defence.

As Vitorino Nemésio so wisely observed about the Azores: "Geography, for us, is as important as history."

The Atlantic does not separate us from the world.

It connects us to it, and through it, we connect to the world.

It is now up to us to ensure that this connection is secure, fair and generates opportunities for all.

Therefore, I would add to Nemésio's insightful statement that our geography will be as important to our future as our ambition, cooperation and strategic commitment.

Thank you very much."