Marcelo extends Air Force chief's mandate for another two years

General João Cartaxo Alves, who succeeded General Nunes Borrego in the position, took office as Chief of Staff of the Air Force on February 25, 2022

The President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, signed this Tuesday the decree that extends for another two years the mandate of the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, General João Cartaxo Alves, at the proposal of the Government. This information was released through a note on the official website of the Presidency of the Republic.

General João Cartaxo Alves, who succeeded General Nunes Borrego in the position, took office as Chief of Staff of the Air Force on February 25, 2022.

The Organic Law on the Basis of the Organization of the Armed Forces (LOBOFA) establishes that the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces and the military chiefs of the branches "are appointed, from among admirals, vice-admirals, generals or lieutenant-generals, in active status, for a period of three years, renewable for two years, without prejudice to the right to dismiss at any time and dismissal due to age limit".

Under the terms of the Constitution, the heads of the military branches are appointed and dismissed by the President of the Republic, on the proposal of the Government.

João Guilherme Rosado Cartaxo Alves was born in December 1962, in Almada, and in October 1980 he entered the Military Academy in the Aeronautical Military Sciences course. In 2007 he was appointed Chief of Staff of the Air Force Operational Command and the following year Commander of Air Base No. 6, a position he held until October 2010.

In July 2015 he was appointed 2nd Commander of the Air Command, having subsequently served as Acting Air Commander from February 2016, the year in which he assumed the position of chief of staff to the then Chief of Staff of the Air Force.

Cartaxo Alves served as national representative in several NATO bodies between January 2018 and May 2019, during which time he was Deputy National Director of Armaments and participated as Portugal's representative in the plenary sessions of the meetings of National Armaments Directors of NATO and the European Defence Agency.

Before assuming military leadership, the pilot-aviator general served as commander of Air Force logistics since May 2019 and had previously held the position of deputy general director of the General Directorate of National Defense Resources.