Instituto Universitário Militar

The “first military higher education school” in Portugal dates back to 1641, as the ” Class of Artillery and Squareness”, intended for the theoretical and practical education of the nomina artillerymen and bombers. It was founded by Luís Serrão Pimentel, under the auspices of D. João IV’s decree, dated May 13th, of that same year.

Heir to this venerable legacy, the Military University Institute (IUM) was created in 2014, under the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, absorbing the mission and functions of the Institute of Higher Military Studies (IESM) – an institution that, in 2006, It absorbs the mission and functions of the Institute of Higher Military Studies (IESM) – an institution that, in 2006, integrated the former Naval War College, the Institute of Advanced Military Studies, and the Institute of Advanced Air Force Studies – and aggregates, as autonomous organic units, the Naval Academy (AN), the Military Academy (AM), the Air Force Academy (AFA), and the Military Polytechnic Unit (UPM).

Given the specificities of its core mission – initial and complementary training of officers and sergeants of the Armed Forces and the Republican National Guard – the IUM is fully integrated into the national higher education system and is a benchmark institution for training and research in the area of military sciences in Portugal.

Commander’s Message

The Military University Institute, based on the excellence of the historical legacy of the Military Higher Education institutions that preceded it, initiated its university path in 2014, adapting the training of its officers to the methodologies and academic requirements of national higher education and developing research and internationalization in the specific field of Military Sciences.

The Armed Forces and the National Republican Guard have responded fully and enthusiastically to this demanding challenge, as responsible national institutions of which the country expects, relies on and recognizes the constant effort to adapt to societal change, in the pursuit of resilience.

Military Science owes its specificity to the core of military knowledge linked to the preparation of its career officers, whether for the strategic and operational command of forces, or for their ability to provide advice to the various decision-making levels of the State, especially at critical moments, in the face of risk and threats to society that require action from the military instrument or its intrinsic structures, experience and knowledge.

Notwithstanding, Military Science also involves a multidisciplinary set of knowledge that requires a cooperative and dynamic approach, which IUM has endeavored to pursue. To this end, it has relied on the helpful partnership, exceptional hospitality and inexcusable support of the Academy to which we proudly and honorably feel associated after the legal recognition of the Military University Institute, in 2019, as a full member of the Council of Rectors of Portuguese Universities.

Lieutenant General Pilot-Aviator José Augusto de Barros Ferreira