Superior Council of National Defence
The Superior Council of National Defence (Portuguese: Conselho Superior de Defesa Nacional, CSDN) is a body of the Portuguese Government specifically for consulting the President of Portugal on matters of national defence and the functioning and discipline of the Portuguese Armed Forces.[1]
CSDN Composition
The CSDN is composed of a group of political and military leaders, among whom include Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister and Ministers of State, Minister of National Defence, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Internal Administration, Minister of Finance, Ministers responsible for the areas of industry, energy, transport, and communications, Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, Representatives of the Republic for the Autonomous Regions, Presidents of the governments of the Autonomous Regions of the Azores and Madeira, President of the National Defense Committee of the Assembly of the Republic, Chiefs of Staff of the Navy, Army, and Air Force, and two Members of the Assembly of the Republic.[2][3]
The President of the Republic may, on his own initiative or at the request of the Prime Minister, invite other persons to participate, without the right to vote, in meetings of the Superior Council of National Defence. The Superior Council of National Defence meets ordinarily every three months and extraordinarily whenever convened by the President of the Republic, either on his own initiative or at the request of the Prime Minister.[4]
Current composition
| Position | Member | Affiliation | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| President of the Republic and chair of the Council | António José Seguro | PS | ||
| Prime Minister | Luís Montenegro | PSD | ||
| Deputy Prime Minister | Vacant | |||
| Minister of State Minister of Foreign Affairs |
Minister of State and Foreign Affairs Paulo Rangel |
PSD | ||
| Minister of State Minister of Finance |
Minister of State and Finance Joaquim Miranda Sarmento |
PSD | ||
| Minister of National Defence | Minister of National Defence Nuno Melo |
CDS–PP | ||
| Minister of Internal Administration | Minister of Internal Administration Luís Neves |
Ind. | ||
| Minister responsible for industry | Minister of Economy and Territorial Cohesion Manuel Castro Almeida |
PSD | ||
| Minister responsible for energy | Minister of the Environment and Energy Graça Carvalho |
PSD | ||
| Minister responsible for transportation Minister responsible for communications |
Minister of Infrastructure and Housing Miguel Pinto Luz |
PSD | ||
| Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces | General João Cartaxo Alves |
Ind. | ||
| Representative of the Republic for Madeira | Pedro Barreto Ferreira | Ind. | ||
| Representative of the Republic for the Azores | Susana Goulart Costa | Ind. | ||
| President of the Regional Government of Madeira | Miguel Albuquerque | PSD | ||
| President of the Regional Government of the Azores | José Manuel Bolieiro | PSD | ||
| Chair of the National Defence Committee of the Assembly of the Republic | Pedro Pessanha | CH | ||
| Chief of the Naval Staff | Admiral Jorge Nobre de Sousa |
Ind. | ||
| Chief of Staff of the Army | General Eduardo Mendes Ferrão |
Ind. | ||
| Chief of Staff of the Air Force | General Sérgio Costa Pereira |
Ind. | ||
| Elected members of the Assembly of the Republic | Bruno Vitorino | PSD | ||
| Francisco César | PS | |||
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References
- ↑ "Conselhos Superiores". Portal da Defesa na Internet (in European Portuguese). Retrieved 2026-03-13.
- ↑ "Superior Council for National Defence". jorgesampaio.arquivo.presidencia.pt. Retrieved 2026-03-13.
- ↑ https://diariodarepublica.pt/dr/detalhe/deliberacao/1713-2008-3596457.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ https://www.presidencia.pt/atualidade/toda-a-atualidade/2025/12/reuniao-do-conselho-superior-de-defesa-nacional/.
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