Will Admiral Gouveia e Melo Enter the Presidential Race? Insights from His Recent Podcast Appearance

Gouveia e Melo Discusses Future Plans and Defense Industry Concerns

Admiral Henrique Gouveia e Melo has chosen to stay noncommittal about his potential candidacy in upcoming elections. In a recent appearance on the Expresso da Manhã podcast, he stated, "Since I have been in reserve, I am closer to taking a well-deserved vacation. After that, we'll see." He expressed gratitude to the Portuguese people for their sympathy and trust, acknowledging being a favorite in polls but refraining from making any definitive statements about his political future.

Urgent Need for Defense Discussion

Gouveia e Melo emphasized the urgent and necessary discussion surrounding the financing of the Defense Industry during the presidential campaign. He pointed out that this issue not only affects security but also the prosperity of Europe.

He advocates for increased investment in the defense sector but has not committed to any specific funding methods. When questioned about defense bonds in the EU, he sidestepped the topic.

Advocating for Smart Reindustrialization

The Admiral also highlighted the importance of intelligent reindustrialization to tackle dependency on the USA. He argued that spending on defense might require reallocating social expenses, questioning, "What good are social expenses if we don’t have a country?" He proposed a 1-1.5% GDP increase in defense spending for Europe, suggesting that failing to do so would mean losing everything.

Support for a New Model of Mandatory Military Service

Gouveia e Melo supports a new model of Mandatory Military Service (SMO), diverging from the previous system used until the early 2000s. He believes that young people should not be forced to spend two or three years of their lives in service without purpose. Although he did not detail his proposed model, he referred to successful examples from Switzerland and Sweden.

Additionally, he expressed concerns over behaviors that threaten the sovereignty of democratic territories, referencing Donald Trump’s alleged intentions regarding Greenland and Canada.