Editing Portuguese Armed Forces (section)

===Army===
{{Main|Portuguese Army}}
[[File:Exercise TRIDENT JUNCTURE (22791211312).jpg|thumb|300x300px|Portuguese Army's [[Leopard 2|Leopard 2 A6]] main battle tank]]
The Army (''Exército'') is the land component of the Portuguese Armed Forces and its larger branch. Presently, it includes around 14 000 military personnel. The principal equipment of the Army includes 37 main battle tanks ([[Leopard 2A6]]), 300 tracked [[armored personnel carrier|APC]]s ([[M113 Armored Personnel Carrier|M113]]), 188 wheeled APCs ([[Portuguese Pandur|Pandur II]]), 139 tactical vehicles ([[URO VAMTAC]]), 100 other armored vehicles and 80 field artillery weapons. In 2019, the [[FN SCAR]] [[assault rifle]] was chosen as the principal infantry weapon, gradually replacing the [[7.62×51mm NATO|7.62mm]] [[Heckler & Koch G3|HK G3]] and the several models of [[5.56×45mm NATO|5.56mm]] rifles used by paratroopers and other special troops.

The Portuguese Army can be considered one of the oldest armies of the world, with its origins going back to the [[Hueste|Royal ''Hoste'']] of the 12th century, in the early period of the [[Kingdom of Portugal]]. The foundations of a standing army were established in 1570, with the creation of the ''[[Ordenanças]]''. In the middle of the 17th century, the Portuguese land forces started to be referred as the ''Exército''.

The Army is headed by the Chief of Staff of the Army and includes the Army Staff, the Personnel and the Logistics commands, the Directorate of Finance, the Land Forces Command (land component command, with two subordinate military zone commands) and the Inspection-General of the Army. The base bodies of the branch are divided by the scopes of obtainment and administration of human resources (including psychology, recruiting and selection centers and offices), of readying of forces (including 21 regiments of several arms, the [[Special Operations Troops Centre]] and the Army Intelligence and Military Security Center), of logistical support (including the [[Centro de Informação Geoespacial do Exército|Army Geospatial Intelligence Center]], two service support regiments, the Army Material General Support Unit and two health centers), of teaching and training (including the [[Military Academy (Portugal)|Military Academy]], the School of the Arms, the School of the Services, the Army Sergeants School, the [[Colégio Militar|Military College]] and the [[Pupilos do Exército|Army Pupils Institute]]) and of divulgation and preservation of military culture (including military museums, archives, the Army Band and the Army Fanfare). The Army includes also bodies that support other branches of the Armed Forces, including the Military Prison Establishment, the Military Laboratorial Unit of Biological and Chemical Defense and the Military Unit of Veterinary Medicine. The elements of the operational component of the system of forces of the Army include the Land Forces Command, the formations and operational units commands, the military zones commands and the general support and emergency military support forces.<ref>{{cite web|title=DL nº231/2009 Capítulo II Artigo 6º|url=http://www.emgfa.pt/documents/87h9rcksmpfj.pdf|website=emgfa.pt|publisher=XVII Governo Constitucional de Portugal|access-date=8 May 2015}}</ref> The formations include the [[Rapid Reaction Brigade (Portugal)|Rapid Reaction Brigade]], the [[Mechanized Brigade (Portugal)|Mechanized Brigade]] and the [[Intervention Brigade (Portugal)|Intervention Brigade]]. The special troops of the Army include the [[Portuguese Paratroopers|Paratroopers]], the [[Portuguese Army Commandos|Commandos]] and the [[Special Operations Troops Centre|Special Operations Troops]], whose units are now all integrated in the Rapid Reaction Brigade.

Traditionally, the Army used to be divided in branches that were designated "arms" if they had a mainly combatant role and designated "services" if their role was logistical. The main branches were the arms of cavalry, infantry, artillery, engineering and communications and the services of health, military administration, materiel and transportation. Each branch constituted an organization that usually included a branch directorate, a branch school, units and a cadre of personnel. As organizations, these branches were abolished in 1993, but they still exist as occupational groups. Also, most of the Army units continue to be associated to a branch, which in most cases correspond to the main role of the respective unit.