The Chair of the NATO Military Committee visits Portugal

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From 19 to 21 October, the Chair of the NATO Military Committee (CMC), Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, travelled to Lisbon, where he met Portugal’s top military leadership, visited STRIKFORNATO, and participated in the Strategic Transformation Lab conference.

Admiral Cavo Dragone kicked-off the visit by meeting the Portuguese Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, General João Cartaxo Alves. He thanked Portugal for its pledges to NATO missions including across the Eastern Flank, the Baltic and Nordic skies, and KFOR, as well as the country’s steadfast support to Ukraine. He also commended Portugal’s commitment to innovation, highlighting the importance of REPMUS and spirit embodied in the commission of the first-ever drone carrier in Europe.

On the second day of the visit, CMC took part in an act of Remembrance, held at Forte do Bom Sucesso, where the Monument to the Overseas Combatants sits, honouring those who gave their lives in service. The ceremony was followed by a visit to the Joint Command for Military Operations.

Later, CMC was received at the Naval Striking and Support Forces NATO (STRIKFORNATO), in Oeiras. There, he witnessed the activities pertaining to the Neptune Strike 2026 exercise, integrating Allied maritime strike capabilities with air, land and amphibious forces. Notable maritime assets in the exercise included Italy’s aircraft carrier Cavour, Türkiye’s amphibious assault ship Anadolu and the United Kingdom’s aircraft carrier Prince of Wales. He also met STRIKFORNATO’s Deputy Commander, Rear Admiral Craig Wood CBE.

CMC finished his visit by delivering a keynote speech at the “Strategic Transformation Lab – European Security in Transformation”, an event co-hosted by CNN Portugal and the Military University Institute (IUM), on strengthening the foundations of Allied readiness, questioning “whether our societies will look, understand and prepare before the test comes, not during it”, to an audience which included the Minister of National Defence, Mr Nuno Melo.

Admiral Cavo Dragone urged Allies to build resilience and an Alliance that embraces antifragility, capable of coming out stronger and more united against any challenge thrown its way. “The surest way to keep peace is to leave no doubt that, if deterrence fails, we are ready – and we will prevail”, he stated.