According to the Institute for Higher Military Studies’ Mission, the Strategy Education Area (SEA) provides training to Permanent Mission Boards Officers of the Armed Forces and of the Guarda Nacional Republicana (National Republican Guard) in the scientific, technical and doctrinal levels of Military Sciences, within the scope of International Relations, Strategy, Geopolitics, Geostrategy, Public International Law and Military History. 

The Strategy Education Area works under the coordination of the Department of Education with the following main responsibilities:

  • Teaching the SEA subject matters to all promotion, qualification and updating courses;
  • Establish itself as the Portuguese Nucleus of the Strategy Analysis Center of the Community of Portuguese Language Speaking Countries (CAE/ CPLP – Centro de Análise Estatégica da Comunidade dos Países de Língua Portuguesa);
  • Establish itself as the basis of the Strategic Studies Center aiming at research, thinking and diffusion of new knowledge related to the fundamental aspects of Security and Defence, on national and international levels;
  • Establish itself as the basis of the Center for African Studies by developing research related to fundamental and relevant issues affecting the continent in order to generate sustained political, strategic and military studies about the African reality in the global and regional contexts, with a particular emphasis on Portuguese-speaking Africa, the Maghreb and southern Africa;
  • Plan, coordinate and lead the African Studies Course which aims at senior military and civilian officers, from Portugal and other Portuguese-speaking countries (especially from the CPLP);
  • Participate in military-technical cooperation activities in the educational area, namely at the National War College (ESG – Escola Superior de Guerra) in Angola,at the Higher Institute of Defence Studies (ISEDEF – Instituto Superior de Estudos de Defesa) in Mozambique and at the National Defence Institute (IDN – Instituto da Defesa Nacional) in East Timor;
  • Organize seminars and workshops on current issues of recognized interest, as part of the course units under SEA’s responsibility, in collaboration with other higher education institutions, military or civilian, whenever possible;
  • Collaborate in seminars, lectures, workgroups and other activities within the SEA’s scope;
  • Develop and to update academic publications on subject-matters under its responsibility;
  • Support the establishment of cooperation protocols with other military and civilian higher education institutions in the Strategy Education Area;
  • Develop and/or participate in research projects in collaboration with other military and civilian institutions.