Latest news and stories about security in Portugal for expats and residents.
The Superior Council of National Defence has unanimously approved proposals to adjust current national military deployments and authorized a potential new multinational mission. Details regarding the nature and location of this new mission remain unspecified following the council's meeting at the Belém Palace.
The European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) has established a new regional command unit in Lisbon to coordinate border control operations across Portugal and Spain. The initiative, known as Contingent 5, deploys over 300 agents and specialists to strengthen security at international airports and ports. Minister of Internal Administration Margarida Blasco stated that the government is implementing changes to manage increased summer travel pressure.
The Left Bloc (Bloco de Esquerda or BE) has requested an urgent, closed-door hearing with the Secretary-General of the Internal Security System (Sistema de Segurança Interna or SSI). The party seeks clarification regarding alleged failures in information sharing and potential risks to political officeholders, following reports that intelligence services were not alerted to specific threats.
The Information System of the Portuguese Republic (Sistema de Informações da República Portuguesa or SIRP) is the state body responsible for intelligence and national security. It oversees the two main intelligence services: the Strategic Intelligence Service (Serviço de Informações Estratégicas de Defesa or SIED) and the Security Intelligence Service (Serviço de Informações de Segurança or SIS).
The European Union is set to propose stricter visa regulations in January aimed at countering potential Russian hybrid threats and reinforcing regional security.
Europe faces the critical challenge of developing autonomous defense capabilities while navigating complex migration policy shifts and the urgency of 2030 goals.
The mandatory implementation of two-factor authentication for the Direct Social Security portal has been postponed from May 12th to May 16th due to technical issues with access code delivery.
PSP arrested two illegal private security guards in Porto and seized a firearm
The party asks the Regional Government to clarify what steps it has taken with Lisbon to guarantee investments in the Azores, including at Lajes Field.
The Trump administration wants Europe to spend more on defence, but also wants it to buy American weaponry. Meanwhile, European governments are paying billions of euros for military equipment, including arms destined for Ukraine, without any guarantee of timely delivery from the United States. Europe must hold its ground, expand its defence industry, and buy the time that Ukraine needs to survive, because European security cannot remain dependent on electoral priorities in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, or Michigan.
Lieutenant-General Rui Veloso will continue to lead this security force, after having volunteered to remain in his position with the Minister of Internal Administration.
Eyes are on the Azores airbase of Lajes today, as the international press discusses the possibility of America launching new strikes against Iran ‘after the U.S. and Israeli elections’. Given The post Eyes on Azores airbase as 17 U.S. refuelling planes sit on tarmac appeared first on Portugal Resident.
Major-General Agostinho Costa downplayed the possibility of jihadist groups carrying out attacks during demonstrations scheduled in Portugal, Spain, France, and Italy, following an appeal made on social media regarding the matter.
Zbigniew Pisarski's speech took place at the CNN Portugal Summit | Strategic Transformation Lab, a meeting that brought together national and international decision-makers to debate European security, participate in a crisis management simulation, and explore technological solutions aimed at strengthening response capacity.
NATO issues a warning to Portugal stating that geographical distance from Russia does not provide immunity against various security threats.
In an exclusive interview with CNN, Admiral Cavo Dragone, Chair of the NATO Military Committee, guarantees that NATO is replenishing what the Ukrainians are lacking and, in the face of intensifying hybrid warfare in Europe, assures that the response is firm, but without escalating the conflict.
The presentation by Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, Chairman of the NATO Military Committee, followed by a conversation moderated by CNN Portugal journalist João Póvoa Marinheiro.
Meo, Nos, and Vodafone (excluding Digi) have teamed up to try and protect connections between applications and the mobile network. They claim competition and privacy are guaranteed.
The three main national mobile operators have joined the global GSMA Open Gateway initiative to provide additional security components in their customers' applications.
A drone caused an air alert in Lithuania and Latvia, scrambling NATO fighters early this Sunday and crashing near Pasvalys, northern Lithuania, close to the Latvian border. Ukraine has apologised, suggesting the incident may have resulted from Russian electronic warfare diverting one of its drones during an operation against military targets. Meanwhile, the Lithuanian Prime Minister has also accused Russia of attempting to sabotage a facility housing Starlink communication equipment in the country, citing it as part of Russia's ongoing hybrid warfare across Europe.
The drone reportedly entered Lithuanian airspace from Poland, according to the Baltic country's public television station, LRT.
The GNR has participated with 153 military personnel in 13 international crisis management missions over the 19 years of the European Gendarmerie Force's existence, a European police force composed exclusively of security forces of a military nature.
Francisco Rodrigues, president of OSCOT, warns of the risk that far-right and far-left groups might take advantage of peaceful demonstrations to cause incidents.
The men who describe this war as existential will not go to the front. Their great sacrifice is a television studio. The courage they demand is always cheaper when it is to be paid for by others.
Portuguese authorities are tracking a fleet of Russian vessels navigating through the waters surrounding Madeira.
Andrius Kubilius advocates for a structure with permanent and rotating members, including some of the main European powers, to accelerate decision-making and strengthen the continent's response to security threats.
Starting this Thursday, the SIS will begin integrating information from external partners regarding suspects of terrorism and serious organised crime, with support from Europol.
New mechanism will help police officers across the EU to detect criminals and terrorists more effectively and will facilitate cooperation between law enforcement authorities.
The alert will allow real-time access to information shared by third countries and international organisations.
The remarks were made by Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski at the Warsaw Security Forum, proposing a combined military force for the Baltic and eastern regions. While Poland pushes for greater European military integration and massive domestic defense spending under Prime Minister Donald Tusk, the proposal faces resistance from EU diplomatic leadership, including Kaja Kallas, who warns that duplicating NATO structures could create dangerous accountability gaps.
Supreme Allied Commander Alexus Grynkewich guarantees that NATO is prepared to respond to any attack, at a time when European officials are warning of possible Russian actions against allied countries.
NATO's 'theory of victory' involves ensuring that any attack against any ally proves completely useless. Alliance countries must show Russia where their 'red lines' are.
Bruno Cardoso Reis admits that NATO needs to reflect on Russian initiatives within the alliance's space. He argues that the best way to deter them is to show that Russian initiatives carry high costs.
