1989 Portuguese Armed Forces order of battle

Portugal is one of the original signatories of the North Atlantic Treaty of 1949 - the founding document for the creation of NATO. Previously, the country signed the Iberian Pact with Spain in 1939 for mutual defence support within the peninsula as a result of the support regime has provided for Nationalists camp in the Spanish Civil War and the good relations between the two leaders. These two agreements have laid the foundations for Portugal's defence policy in the second half of the 20th century.
List of units and formations of the Portuguese Army in the 1980s
Traditionally the Portuguese Army maintained (until 2009) two distinct structures. A Base Structure of the Army (Estrutura Base do Exército (EBE)) included the depot units (regiments, centers and schools), which had responsibilities to train, arm and support troops, maintain military infrastructure and support the civilian population during emergencies.
A Permanent Operational Force of the Army (Força Operacional Permanente do Exército) included the operational units of the Army.
Divisions had existed in the Portuguese Army until the mid-1970s, but then NATO-assigned field forces shrunk to brigade size. By the late 1980s, there were two brigades directly responsible to the Army Staff, the 1st Independent Mixed Brigade (established 11 May 1978) and the Special Forces Brigade (formed 3 July 1984, based upon the mechanised Commando Regiment), four military regions, and two overseas military zones.
*1st Independent Mixed Brigade
** Headquarters
** Armoured Battalion
** Mechanized Infantry Battalion
**Motorized Infantry Battalion
** Motorized Infantry Battalion
** Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron
** Armoured Combat Engineer Company
** Self-Propelled Anti-Aircraft Company
** Self-Propelled Surface-to-Air-Missile Company
** Light Surfact-to-Air Missile Company
** Mixed Field Artillery Battalion
*Special Forces Brigade (Brigada de Forças Especiais) (Lamego)
** Commando Regiment (Regimento de Comandos) (Amadora)
*** Headquarters
*** 1º Commando Battalion
*** 2º Commando Battalion
*** 3º Commando Battalion (training unit)
Military Regions
Military Regions (Regiões Militares)
Military Region North
The Military Region North covered the Districts of Bragança, Vila Real, Porto, Braga and Viana do Castelo.
* Headquarters - Porto
** Porto Infantry Regiment
** Chaves Infantry Regiment
** Vila Real Infantry Regiment
** Braga Cavalry Regiment
** Lancer Cavalry Squadron
** Administration Battalion
** Espinho Engineer Regiment
Military Region Center (1987)
* Headquarters - Coimbra
** Abrantes Infantry Regiment
** Castelo Branco Infantry Regiment
** Tomer Infantry Regiment
** Viseu Infantry Regiment
** Averio Infantry Battalion
** Leira Artillery Regiment
** Ordnance Battalion
** Coimbra Lancer Squadron
Military Region South (1987)
* Headquarters - Évora
** Beja Infantry Regiment
** Elvas Infantry Regiment
** Faro Infantry Regiment
** Estremoz Cavalry Regiment
** Sul Lancer Squadron
Military Region Lisbon
* Headquarters - Lisbon
** Mafra Infantry Regiment
** Lisbon Artillery Regiment
** Queluz Infantry Regiment
** Coastal Artillery Regiment
** Lisbon Engineer Regiment
** Lisbon Lancer Regiment (military police)
Madeira Military Zone (1987)
* Headquarters - Funchal, Madeira
** Funchal Infantry Regiment
** 2nd Garrison Artillery Group
** Funchal Lancer Squadron
Azores Military Zone (1987)
* Headquarters - Ponta Delgada, Azores
** Angra do Heroismo Infantry Regiment
** Ponta Delgada Infantry Regiment
* Headquarters (Estado-Maior)
* 1. Riflemen Battalion - Naval Police (Batalhão de Fuzileiros n.º 1 - Polícia Naval (BF1-PN))
* 2. Riflemen Battalion (Batalhão de Fuzileiros n.º 2 (BF2))
* 3. Riflemen Battalion (Batalhão de Fuzileiros n.º 3 (BF3)) (disbanded on October 15, 1990)
* Fire Support Company (Companhia de Apoio de Fogos)
* Tactical Transport Support Company (Companhia de Apoio de Transportes Tácticos)
* Landing Craft Unit (Unidade de Meios de Desembarque)
Light Landing Battalion (Batalhão Ligeiro de Desembarque (BLD)) (a task force, formed for major exercises and for amphibious operations during wartime)
Special Operations Detachment (Destacamento de Ações Especiais (DAE))
Marine School (Escola de Fuzileiros (EF))
Marine Base (Base de Fuzileiros (BF))
Naval Aviation
Since the amalgamation of the Army Aviation and Naval Aviation into the newly created Air Force in 1952 the Portuguese Navy did not have its own integral aviation component. The naval shipborne Helicopter Squadron (Esquadrilha de Helicópteros) flying five Westland Sea Lynx Mk.95 off Montijo Air Base and off the decks of the newly acquired Vasco da Gama-class frigates was created in 1993, after the end of the Cold War.

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