Relationship dossier
Portugal
United States
Relationship assessment
A longstanding defense partnership, including U.S. use of Lajes Field and cooperation through NATO.
Portugal toward United States
+65Portugal has supported bilateral defense cooperation and provided U.S. forces access to Lajes Field in the Azores. It also hosted the 2003 Azores summit attended by the U.S. president and other leaders before the Iraq War.
United States toward Portugal
+65The United States has maintained defense cooperation with Portugal and used Lajes Field in the Azores for military operations, reflecting a durable strategic relationship.
Overall relationship
+65The relationship has a durable defense foundation, including cooperation through NATO and Portugal’s provision of access to Lajes Field for U.S. military operations. The 2003 Azores summit further illustrated high-level engagement. These features support a substantially cooperative overall relationship.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Portugal and the United States have a sustained cooperative relationship shaped by defense ties and Portugal’s role in NATO. Portugal has provided access to Lajes Field in the Azores for U.S. military operations, and the countries have maintained bilateral defense cooperation. Portugal also hosted the 2003 Azores summit attended by the leaders of the United States, the United Kingdom, and Spain before the Iraq War.
Key developments
Portugal hosted the Azores summit attended by the leaders of the United States, the United Kingdom, and Spain before the Iraq War.
Portugal and the United States signed a bilateral Cooperation and Defense Agreement.
Major uncertainties
- The current scope and practical terms of U.S. access to Lajes Field are unclear.
- The extent of recent bilateral defense cooperation beyond established arrangements is unclear.