Event of the Year – Strategic competition involves the Azores once again

Anti-submarine warfare (ASW) operations conducted by the US Navy have returned to Lajes Air Base, which is highly relevant to the Azores’ geostrategic role and will continue to be so in the foreseeable future.
Such operations, typical of the Cold War, had left Lajes in 1994, after decades of hunting Russian submarines, even after the Cold War was declared over. The P3 aircraft stationed at the Terceira base then departed, taking with them the nuclear depth charges stored on Terceira Island. At that time, a cycle ended. Not that the Lajes Base ceased to be important for multiple functions, especially force projection, refueling, communications, etc. But the cat-and-mouse cycle between aircraft and submarines, at least with the known intensity, came to an end.
ASW operations, now with modern P-8 aircraft, are returning in force, as Russia has increasingly deployed invisible, well-armed attack submarines in the Atlantic. In Lajes, projects and contracts are multiplying to accommodate the P8s, ranging from warehouses and aircraft laundries to modern NAVY control and command facilities.
At the same time, all indications are that Portugal will deploy its refurbished P-3s to Lajes, while in Porto da Praia da Vitória, the most credible analyses point to the installation of a mixed naval base with Portuguese and US platforms. US submarines already refuel at Praia da Vitória, staying offshore due to depth constraints in the inner harbor, which are expected to be resolved in the near term.
Here is what 2025 will bring. The Azores, particularly the combination of Lajes Base and Praia da Vitória Port, are part of the new dynamics of the Atlantic, marked by strategic competition that, in addition to the US and Russia, is likely to involve China and perhaps a new Europe with greater autonomy in defense and security. This is without considering the possibility, raised by the latest NSS (National Security Strategy), of the US designating the Azores its advanced defense zone.
Anyone here who fails to understand what is happening will be left, literally, watching ships and planes. And the Azores will remain as poor as ever. It is time to know what we give to others—which, as we can see, is immense—and to consider what our share of the deal might be. That is the language we are using.

Personality of the Year – Pedro Catarino will be missed
Ambassador Pedro Catarino, Representative of the Republic for the Autonomous Region of the Azores, bids farewell to the islands in the New Year’s message we publish in this edition. After 15 years in office – and at the age of 84 – he leaves behind an image, both public and private, that deserves the highest praise.
(It should be made clear that this note refers to Ambassador Pedro Catarino and his performance and in no way intends to whitewash the political-institutional figure of the Representative of the Republic, who was previously Minister of the Republic. We have always argued that the Azoreans, who are Portuguese like everyone else, do not need special protection, which means that we will continue to fight for the abolition of the position.)
Pedro Catarino was exemplary in resolving crises in the Azores, particularly the transition to a complex political party system, which required diplomatic skills; without them, the Azores would have entered political crises that might not have been resolved by successive elections, which should always be avoided. The predictable repetition of certain results at the polls could create insurmountable problems, especially in a region that has not yet consolidated a generally accepted system of government.
What is public is public—that is, Pedro Catarino’s intervention allowed the Azores to have a government—but what is not public and was confided to us by those involved in the process is perhaps even more relevant, revealing an enormous capacity for mediation. In fact, the Ambassador, who serves as Representative of the Republic, is a renowned diplomat with decades of service to Portugal’s interests, and we are certain that this experience was relevant in unraveling these Azorean entanglements.
Pedro Catarino’s actions are also commendable regarding his interpretation of the Region’s powers, which are often constrained by overly restrictive and highly detrimental interpretations to the islands’ interests. His assistance to the Azorean legislative process is also very relevant. Thanks to him, a considerable amount of legislation has been spared from further rejection and simple public embarrassment.
Ambassador Pedro Catarino will be missed.

In Diário Insular-José Lourenço-director

Translated into English as a community outreach program by the Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute (PBBI) and the Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures Department (MCLL), in collaboration with Bruma Publication and ADMA (Azores-Diaspora Media Alliance) at California State University, Fresno. PBBI thanks Luso Financial for sponsoring NOVIDADES.