Rear-admiral Diogo Arroteia was born on the 3rd of January 1968 and joined the Portuguese Naval Academy on the 14th of October 1985, being promoted to Ensign in October 1990. He was promoted to Rear-admiral on the 29th of July 2022.
He has gotten specialized as Communications Officer in 1992 and attended NATO Maritime Communications Staff Officer Course and the Maritime Warfare Course at HMS Collingwood, the NATO Communications and Information Systems Course and the NATO INFOSEC Course at NCISS Latina, and most recently the Flag Officer Course.
At sea, as lieutenant, he served as Communications Officer in different ships and in several TG staffs, including during 1998 Guinea-Bissau crisis and 1999 Kosovo crisis. As Lieutenant Commander he was Executive Officer of frigate “Côrte-Real” during 2005 to 2007 period. In September 2008 he assumed the command of frigate “Vasco da Gama”, in which he was Flag-captain of Portuguese Commander of European Naval Force (EUNAVFOR), Operation ATALANTA, during March to August 2011 period. From October 2017 to November 2018, he was Commander of the High Readiness Portuguese Maritime Force (PRTMARFOR).
Ashore he served as an instructor of the Communications School 1994 to 1996. During 1999 to 2002 period, he was ACOS Communications and Information System of Fleet Command HQ (Comando Naval). From 2002 to 2005 he acted in the Portuguese Navy Staff on CIS Division and from 2007 to 2008 he was Deputy of Escorts Flotilla. From October 2011 to July 2013, he assumed as Portuguese Commander Sea Training (and Portuguese Liaison Officer to Flag Officer Sea Training of Royal Navy), before joining NATO HQ MARCOM (Future Ops Branch – Operations Division), in July 2013, as Operation Active Endeavour core planner and Maritime Security Operations/Maritime Situational Awareness Subject Matter Expert. Since October 2016 to November 2018, he was Commander of Surface Flotilla and since November 2018 he was Director of Plans at the Portuguese Joint Command HQ until September 2019.
Since September 2020 to June 2021, he was Director of Naval Training and Evaluation Centre, and meanwhile he was Commander of TF 465 EUNAVFOR Somalia – Operation ATALANTA, from December 2020 until March 2021. From July 2021 to August 2022, he assumed the post of DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF FOR PLANS at Allied Maritime Command (MARCOM). After being promoted to Rear-Admiral he returned to Portugal to fulfil the position of Deputy Fleet Commander since August 2022, and Flotilla commander since August 2023.
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