The Liberal Initiative party (Iniciativa Liberal, IL), a right-of-the-political-sphere party, in the tradition of the libertarian here in the US, is urging the Azorean Regional Government to establish a security and defense technology cluster in the archipelago and to elevate the region’s strategic importance at the next meeting of Portugal’s Council of State.

The proposals are outlined in a draft resolution presented Tuesday at a press conference by IL regional lawmaker Pedro Ferreira, who is currently serving in place of Nuno Barata.

“The Liberal Initiative does not want the Azores to remain silent spectators to the profound changes reshaping the international order,” Ferreira said. “We are at the center of the Atlantic. We are an essential tool not only in relations with the United States, but above all within the framework of a new European security and defense policy. Portugal must fully assume the centrality of the Azores.”

The draft resolution, submitted with a request for urgent consideration and exemption from committee review, is expected to be debated in the February plenary session of the Azorean Legislative Assembly. It includes recommendations directed both at the Regional Government and Portugal’s national government, calling for greater recognition of the Azores’ role in transatlantic and European defense architecture.

A Defense Technology Hub in the Atlantic

Among the recommendations aimed at the regional executive is the creation of a technology cluster designed to attract foreign investment and retain young talent in high-tech defense-related fields.

Ferreira pointed to sectors such as submarine cable monitoring and maintenance, aerospace development, maritime surveillance, drone control systems, and the potential establishment of companies that take advantage of the region’s favorable tax regime, including firms involved in defense manufacturing.

He noted that the European Defence Fund currently has €1 billion allocated to areas such as air defense and missile systems, land combat, naval and air operations, disruptive technologies, and innovation—funding that the Azores could seek to access.

“Instead of constantly asking for handouts,” Ferreira argued, “the Azores must take the lead in this moment of profound international change and assert their central role in Atlantic geostrategy and geopolitics.”

Bringing the Azores to the Council of State

IL is also calling on the President of the Azorean Regional Government to use the upcoming Council of State—expected to focus on security and defense following remarks by Portugal’s newly elected President—to advocate forcefully for the archipelago’s strategic position.

The resolution further recommends that the region formally assert its importance within NATO, the European Union, and broader international relations.

The party is proposing the development of a 10-year strategic plan incorporating maritime security, protection of critical infrastructure, NATO–EU cooperation, and the economic valorization of the Azores’ international presence.

Revisiting the U.S. Bilateral Agreement

IL is urging the Regional Government to press Portugal’s national government, led by Prime Minister Luís Montenegro, to begin revising the bilateral defense agreement with the United States, which has not been updated in three decades.

Any revision, Ferreira argued, should safeguard the possibility of using Lajes Air Base for European cooperation projects, particularly within the framework of the EU’s Common Security and Defence Policy.

The party is also advocating for the evaluation of a venture capital fund, with private sector participation, to finance the establishment of startups in the defense and security sectors in the Azores.

Additionally, IL wants the region promoted within the European Union as a logistical platform for European missions under the Common Security and Defense Policy. It is also proposing an annual parliamentary debate in the Azorean Assembly focused specifically on Atlantic geostrategy.

National-Level Demands

At the national level, the party recommends that the Government of Portugal incorporate the Azorean dimension into the National Defense Strategy and the National Defense Strategic Council. It also calls for “structural compensation” for the strategic use of Azorean territory by American or European partners.

Finally, IL is urging Lisbon to ensure Azorean participation in European Union Common Security and Defence Policy projects and to include regional representatives in the Portuguese delegation to upcoming NATO summits.

At a moment when global security alignments are shifting and the Atlantic is regaining prominence in strategic calculations, IL argues that the Azores should no longer be a peripheral outpost—but rather a central platform in the evolving architecture of Western defense.

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.