Armed Forces General Staff (Portugal)


The Armed Forces General Staff, 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 or CEMGFA, the highest rank of general in the Portuguese Armed Forces.

History

The present Armed Forces General Staff was created in 1950, as the Secretariat-General of National Defence or SGDN. The SGDN was the central planning organization of the Defense, being headed by the Chief of the Armed Forces General Staff, under the dependency of the minister of National Defense. Besides having the role of secretary-general of the SGDN, the CEMGFA also assumed most of the responsibilities until then assigned to the military heads of the Navy and of the Army. The creation of the SGDN and of the roles of CEMGFA and minister of National Defense marked the integration of the several military service branches and so the creation of the Armed Forces of Portugal as a single organization.
In 1969, it was decreed that SGDN should be remodeled in order to be transformed into the 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:
Under the dependency of the CEMGFA are also:
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, appointed by the President of Portugal, by proposal of the Government of Portugal.

List of chiefs of the General Staff