# Armed Forces General Staff (Portugal)

The Armed Forces General Staff (Portuguese: Estado-Maior-General das Forças Armadas), or EMGFA, is the supreme military body of Portugal. It is responsible for the planning, command and control of the Portuguese Armed Forces.
EMGFA is headed by the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces (Portuguese: Chefe do Estado-Maior-General das Forças Armadas) or CEMGFA, the highest rank of general in the Portuguese Armed Forces.

## History

In 1950, as part of the Portuguese military reforms related with the lessons learned following World War II, the start of the Cold War and the foundation of NATO, the roles of minister of National Defence and of Chief of the Armed Forces General Staff (CEMGFA) were created. The creation of these roles was a major step in the planned integration of the several military service branches and so the establishment of the Armed Forces of Portugal as a single organization. The CEMGFA assumed most of the responsibilities until then assigned to the military heads of the Navy and of the Army, the then existing service branches, as the Air Force would only be created in 1952.
At the same time and as a forerunner of a future General Staff, the Secretariat-General of National Defence (Portuguese: Secretariado-Geral da Defesa Nacional) or SGDN was established. The SGDN was the central planning organization of the Defence, being headed by the CEMGFA.
In 1969, it was decreed that SGDN should be remodelled in order to be transformed into the Armed Forces General Staff (EMGFA), as the organization for the joint administration of the Armed Forces. However, transformation of the SGDN into the EMGFA occurred only in 1974.

## Organization

The Armed Forces General Staff is integrated into the Portuguese Ministry of National Defence and includes:
* The Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces (CEMGFA)
* The Joint Staff (EMC, Estado-Maior Conjunto)
* The Joint Operational Command (COC, Comando Operacional Conjunto)
* The operational commands of the Azores and Madeira
* The commanders-in-chief that can be created under the CEMGFA, in times of war
* The Military Security and Information Center (CISMIL, Centro de Informações e Segurança Militares)
* The general support organizations
Under the dependency of the CEMGFA are also:
* The Portuguese Joint Command and Staff College (IESM, Instituto de Estudos Superiores Militares)
* The Hospital of the Armed Forces (HFAR, Hospital das Forças Armadas)

## Chief of the General Staff

The Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces is the operational commander of the Portuguese Armed Forces in times of peace. In times of war, he assumes the complete command of the Armed Forces. The CEMGFA is a general officer of one of the three branches of the Armed Forces (Army, Navy and Air Force), appointed by the President of Portugal, by proposal of the Government of Portugal.

### List of chiefs of the General Staff

| No. | Chief | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Defence branch | Ref. |
| 1 | de Passos e Sousa, Aníbal César ValdêsGeneral Aníbal César Valdez de Passos e Sousa [pt] (1884–1954) | 5 August 1950 | 6 December 1951 | 1 year, 123 days | Portuguese Army | – |
| 2 | de Bettencourt, Manuel OrtinsRear admiral Manuel Ortins de Bettencourt [pt] (1892–1969) | 12 December 1951 | 9 February 1955 | 3 years, 59 days | Portuguese Navy | – |
| 3 | Moniz, Júlio BotelhoGeneral Júlio Botelho Moniz (1900–1979) | 3 March 1955 | 13 August 1958 | 3 years, 163 days | Portuguese Army | – |
| 4 | Ferraz, José António da Rocha BelezaGeneral José António da Rocha Beleza Ferraz (1901–?) | 22 August 1958 | 12 April 1961 | 2 years, 233 days | Portuguese Army | – |
| 5 | de Araújo, Manuel GomesGeneral Manuel Gomes de Araújo [pt] (1897–1982) | 13 April 1961 | 3 December 1962 | 1 year, 234 days | Portuguese Army | – |
| 6 | Deslandes, Venâncio AugustoGeneral Venâncio Augusto Deslandes [pt] (1909–1985) | 16 August 1968 | 4 September 1972 | 4 years, 19 days | Portuguese Air Force | – |
| 7 | Gomes, Francisco da CostaGeneral Francisco da Costa Gomes (1914–2001) | 5 September 1972 | 13 March 1974 | 1 year, 189 days | Portuguese Army | – |
| 8 | Cunha, Joaquim da LuzGeneral Joaquim da Luz Cunha [pt] (1914–?) | 19 March 1974 | 28 April 1974 | 40 days | Portuguese Army | – |
| (7) | Gomes, Francisco da CostaGeneral Francisco da Costa Gomes (1914–2001) | 29 April 1974 | 13 July 1976 | 2 years, 75 days | Portuguese Army | – |
| 9 | Eanes, António RamalhoGeneral António Ramalho Eanes (born 1935) | 14 July 1976 | 16 February 1981 | 4 years, 217 days | Portuguese Army | – |
| 10 | de Melo Egídio, Nuno Viriato TavaresGeneral Nuno Viriato Tavares de Melo Egídio (1922–2011) | 17 February 1981 | 18 February 1984 | 3 years, 1 day | Portuguese Army | – |
| 11 | Ferreira, José LemosGeneral José Lemos Ferreira [pt] (1929–2020) | 1 March 1984 | 8 March 1989 | 5 years, 7 days | Portuguese Air Force | – |
| 12 | Carneiro, António SoaresGeneral António Soares Carneiro (1928–2014) | 29 March 1989 | 25 January 1994 | 4 years, 302 days | Portuguese Army | – |
| 13 | da Ponte, António Carlos FuzetaAdmiral António Carlos Fuzeta da Ponte [pt] (born 1935) | 21 February 1994 | 9 March 1998 | 4 years, 16 days | Portuguese Navy | – |
| 14 | Santo, Gabriel EspíritoGeneral Gabriel Espírito Santo [pt] (1936–2014) | 17 March 1998 | 8 August 2000 | 2 years, 144 days | Portuguese Army | – |
| 15 | Santos, Manuel José Alvarenga de SousaGeneral Manuel José Alvarenga de Sousa Santos [pt] (born 1940) | 12 August 2000 | 23 August 2002 | 2 years, 11 days | Portuguese Air Force | – |
| 16 | Cabeçadas, José Manuel Garcia MendesAdmiral José Manuel Garcia Mendes Cabeçadas [pt] (born 1943) | 4 November 2002 | 5 December 2006 | 4 years, 31 days | Portuguese Navy | – |
| 17 | Pinto, Luís ValençaGeneral Luís Valença Pinto [pt] (born 1946) | 5 December 2006 | 4 February 2011 | 4 years, 61 days | Portuguese Army | – |
| 18 | Araújo, Luís Evangelista EstevesGeneral Luís Evangelista Esteves Araújo (1949–2023) | 7 February 2011 | 7 February 2014 | 3 years, 0 days | Portuguese Air Force | – |
| 19 | Monteiro, Artur Neves PinaGeneral Artur Neves Pina Monteiro [pt] (born 1952) | 7 February 2014 | 1 March 2018 | 4 years, 22 days | Portuguese Army | – |
| 20 | Ribeiro, António da SilvaAdmiral António da Silva Ribeiro (born 1957) | 1 March 2018 | 1 March 2023 | 5 years, 0 days | Portuguese Navy | – |
| 21 | da Fonseca, José NunesGeneral José Nunes da Fonseca [pt] (born 1961) | 1 March 2023 | Incumbent | 1 year, 246 days | Portuguese Army | – |