Going ahead next Friday (June 26), Portugal’s military will be teaming up with Nato forces from Spain, France, Holland and Germany for the largest crisis simulation ever to be held on national territory.
A total of 4000 soldiers, eight ships and an unspecified number of planes will take part in the exercise, which will start on the sea, and then move to the land.
Indeed, already this week, sea-based crisis simulations are already ongoing in tandem with the Portuguese Air Force.
As Lusa news agency reports, the manoeuvres will not in any way affect the day-to-day life of people along the coast.
The “simulation of a scenario in a fictitious country where there is instability and a NATO resolution that determines military intervention” will begin in a part of the sea “away from the coast, where there is no economic activity – fishing or touristic”.
A second phase will then play out on military-owned land between Pinheiro da Cruz and Troia.
Commander Paulo Vicente, spokesman for the head of Portugal’s Admiralty, said the land operation would be taking place in a fenced area “and this is where fusiliers will disembark” from the various ships involved, eight of them being supplied by other countries.
