New Land Forces Commander appointed by the Minister of Defense

The Minister of National Defense, Nuno Melo, signed Order no. 11095/2026, published in the Diário da República, 2nd series, no. 175, of September 9, 2026, which dismissed Lieutenant General Rui Manuel da Silva Ferreira from the position of Commander of the Land Forces and appointed Lieutenant General Luís Manuel Ricardo Monsanto to the same position. The change at the top of the land military hierarchy takes effect as of September 9, 2026.

The order was issued under paragraph 6 of article 25 of the Organic Basic Law of the Organization of the Armed Forces, approved as an annex to Organic Law no. 2/2021, of August 9, upon the proposal of the Chief of Staff of the Army, after hearing the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces. The act was signed on September 2, 2026.

Dismissal and appointment

The order determines, in two points, the transition of command:

• Dismissal of Lieutenant General Rui Manuel da Silva Ferreira (no. 11898185) from the position of Commander of the Land Forces.
• Appointment of Lieutenant General Luís Manuel Ricardo Monsanto (no. 08431388) to the position of Commander of the Land Forces.

Legal framework

The decision falls within the appointment regime for the commanders of the branches of the Armed Forces, which requires a proposal from the Chief of Staff of the Army and the hearing of the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces. The order further establishes that it enters into force on the day following its publication, taking effect from September 9, 2026.

Lieutenant General Rui Manuel da Silva Ferreira had been serving as Commander of the Land Forces, a position in which he signed, for example, orders for the delegation of powers published in the Diário da República throughout 2026, namely Order no. 2542/2026, of November 28, 2025.

Relevance of the change

The appointment of a new Commander of the Land Forces represents a top-level change in the command structure of the Portuguese Army, with a direct impact on the organization and operational readiness of the land component of the Armed Forces. The act, published in the National Defense section of the Diário da República, formalizes the succession in the position and ensures the continuity of the force’s command.

Source: Diário da República, 2nd series, no. 175, of September 9, 2026, National Defense section (official reference: Order no. 11095/2026, registration no. 320039689).