… and “more attractive conditions” to recruit and retain, says Chief of Staff
The Portuguese Air Force needs 1,400 more soldiers and to get them (and keep them) its Chief of Staff believes it must be able to offer “more attractive conditions”.
João Cartaxo Alves was talking to Lusa today on the occasion of the service’s 71st birthday celebrations in Bragança.
The problem is not in recruiting, since this branch has proven attractive to young people, but “what is happening is a matter of competitiveness with the market,” he said.
“It has to do with factors that we have to work on in terms of retention, open more vacancies for the permanent staff and make these positions attractive,” he said.
One of the ongoing measures is a programme the Air Force has been working on for two years which aims to “improve all the facilities that can be made available to the military, not only in terms of workplaces, but also for accommodation”.
This “will be a factor of great motivation for the military and for their families,” he considered.
According to the Chief of Staff, the lack of 1,400 military personnel “translates into an overload of the remaining people” since most services have to be deployed, which “implies less rest, greater rotation,” and also has implications for missions that have to be fulfilled.
The Air Force is pinning its hopes on the new Military Programming and Military Infrastructure laws, which are about to be approved by parliament, and which foresee investments of €5 billion by 2034.
The overall final vote on the new Military Programming Law was scheduled for Friday in the Portuguese Parliament, but postponed.
The Minister of Defense has said she hopes the process will be concluded next week.
Source: LUSA