Benguela: The Minister of Defense and Veterans of the Homeland, Joo Ernesto dos Santos, on Tuesday in Benguela, urged the Angolan Armed Forces to prepare for complex operational environments in the current global context. The minister made the statement at the opening of a meeting of the FAA leadership to analyze content related to the organization's operational capacity and develop more feasible strategies to increase the readiness of its units, having defended the need for the modernization of the Angolan Armed Forces in light of the global geopolitical situation, stating that it has given rise to unexpected events that compromise peace and security across the globe.
According to Angola Press News Agency, Santos stated that global threats, wars, and armed conflicts tend to weaken the world order, with the use of force increasingly being favored over diplomacy and peaceful solutions. 'In the southern and central regions of our continent, pockets of political and military tension and instability prevail, particularly in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, despite the peace accords signed in Washington on December 4, 2025, witnessed by several heads of state,' the minister said.
Joo Ernesto dos Santos also spoke of scientific and technological innovations which have significantly altered the traditional paradigm of the Armed Forces' actions on the battlefield. Minister Ernesto dos Santos reiterated the need for the country to continue investing in personnel in order to strengthen the troops' patriotic awareness, military discipline, moral and civic values, sense of mission and duty, and to ensure they continue to provide distinguished service to the homeland.
Joo Ernesto dos Santos considered the regular meetings of the military leadership to be an important forum for reflecting on how the FAA has implemented the Commander-in-Chief's (Joo Louren§o) and the Chief of the FAA General Staff's (Aviation General Altino dos Santos) guidelines for the various stages of the country's political process, in line with its traditions and aspirations.
The meeting of the Angolan military leadership provides an opportunity for analysis and reflection within the military institution, which periodically evaluates the execution of operational, combat, educational, and patriotic preparation programs. It also evaluates various types of security and support services for the state, as well as material resources and equipment, and their readiness for use in defense of national independence, territorial integrity, peace, national reconciliation, and democratic rule of law, and in the socio-economic development of the country.