EMGFA is the Armed Forces General Headquarters.
"Comandos-Chefes" are Ad Hoc Task Forces created for a particulary reason/intervention.
See also article 22nd.
Artigo 22.º
Atribuição e estrutura dos comandos-chefes
1 - Os comandos-chefes, quando constituídos, são órgãos na dependência do CEMGFA destinados a permitir a conduta de operações militares em estado de guerra e, nos termos da lei, dispondo os respectivos comandantes das competências, forças e meios que lhes forem outorgados por carta de comando.
2 - A estrutura e o quadro de pessoal de cada comando-chefe constarão do decreto-lei que o constituir.
"orgaos na dependencia do CEMGFA" can be translated as "entities under the dependency [or supervision/command] of the Armed Forces Headquarters Chief of Staff".
Most of transformations were related with personnel redution, rather then materiel redution, with bigger impacts in the Army, rather then Navy and Air Force.
A brief list of changes:
- Redution for around 44.000 personnel in the Army, 13.000 in the Navy and 10.000 in the Air Force (1989 figures) to around 24.500 personnel in the Army, 10.000 in the Navy and 7.500 in the Air Force (2004-2006 figures);
- Downsizing in many army units: for example there was an Infantry Regiment for nearly all provincies ("Distritos") and many (half?) were cut down. The 4 military regions in the mainland were reduced to 3 (and totally disbanded in 2006);
- The Air Force Paratroppers (Paraquedistas) and the Army Commandos (Comandos) were merged in the new Army Airborne (Aerotransportados) (in 2004 this situation was changed with the creation of a new Army Commandos unit and renaming the Aerotransportados back to Paraquedistas, although remaning in the Army and not returning to the Air Force);
- The Paraquedistas and the Comandos were joined by other army personnel (theoretically all with airborne training/capacity) in to the new BAI - Brigada Aerotransportada Independente (Independent Airborne Brigade) (in 2004-2006, this brigade was restructured and renamed BrigRR - Brigada de Reação Rápida (Rapid Reaction Brigade));
- The 1ª BMI - 1ª Brigada Mista Independente (First Independent Mixed Brigade) was reestrutured (with significant materiel increase in quality and quantity, benefiting from "hand-down" materiel available from CFE Treaty reductions [M-60A3 TTS MBT, more M-113 APC, Chaparral SAM, etc., etc.]), from a mixed (motorized and mechanized) unit to a fully mechanized unit and therefore renamed BMI - Brigada Mecanizada Independente (Mechanized Independent Brigade) (renamed BrigMec - Brigada Mecanizada (Mechanized Brigade) in 2006);
- The BFE - Brigada de Forças Especiais (Special Forces Brigade) was deeply transformed, from a "theoretical" military formation based around the Commandos Regiment with support units on mobilization, to a Light Infantry Brigade designated BLI - Brigada Ligeira de Intervenção (Intervention Light Brigade) (renamed BrigInt - Brigada de Intervenção (Intervention Brigade) in 2006 and "armoured" with the Pandur II APC on delivery);
- The Air Force lost Base Aérea n.º 3 (Air Base no. 3) and São Jacinto facilities to the Army (Paratroopers transference). The FIAT G91, T-37 "Tweety" and T-38 Talon were replaced by 40 Alpha Jet in two squadrons, one of Alouette III squadrons was disbanded and one of the A-7P Corsair II squadrons had its planes replaced by F-16;
- The Navy lost one of its Fuzileiros (Marines) Battalion and all of its minehunters. The 3 Vasco da Gama class frigates (MEKO 200 PN) and its 5 Super Lynx helicopters were introduced around 1992-1995;
- Conscript Military Service was reduced from 12 months to (a "ridiculous") 4 months tour of duty. Volunteer (1 year) and Contract (2 to 8 years) personnel increased their numbers (Conscription totally eliminated in 2004).
Basically these are all the major transformations I can recall around the 1990-1996 period.