Portugal is a founding member of NATO and both a member of the WEU and the European Union, also. Considering the current challenges the Defense sector is facing due to, on the one hand, the growing conflict potential and, on the other hand, the budget constraints the western world is dealing with, Western countries need to consider security and defense as part of a modern, complex and integrated vision of “classic” concepts as a way to assure a proper answer to its national and international responsibilities. A modern security and defense national strategy concept must be built under budgetary adverse conditions and a high development performance expectation as a smart reform strategy along with the already known and defensible premise of smart defense. Therefore, the main objective of this paper will be to try to design Portugal’s smart reform strategy concept that can answer to the newest challenges and needs the country is facing, considering its NATO, EU and National defense and security responsibilities within the global crisis environment, besides contributing to the new Portuguese security and defense national concept. In order to accomplish this goal, the methodology will consider both the qualitative and quantitative approaches along with an interdisciplinary perspective of analysis.
