Admiral José Saldanha Lopes was born on August 5, 1949, in Lisbon. He joined the Naval Academy in 1968.

Promoted to Sub-Lieutenant in October 1973, he served on board Patrol Boats, Corvettes and Frigates, and commanded the Mine-Sweeper Ribeira Grande. As a Communications specialist he served as junior instructor at the Communications School and at the Naval Command Communications Centre.

After being promoted to Lieutenant- Commander, in May de 1985, he performed several senior officer duties at the Naval Command, the Commander-in-Chief of the Portuguese Armed Forces in the Azores, the Naval Staff, the Standing Naval Force Atlantic and the Portuguese Military Representative to the NATO Military Committee, in Brussels. His last job as Captain was Chief of Staff of the Naval Command.

With the arrival of the Vasco da Gama class frigates, he became the first Portuguese liaison officer to Flag Officer Sea Training, in the United Kingdom, in 1991, to set-up the Operational Sea Training. He was promoted to Commander in February 1992.

He was also the first commanding officer of the new Portuguese Navy Helicopter Squadron, established at the Montijo Portuguese Air Force Base, in 1993.

On 14 November 1996 he assumed command of the frigate Corte Real. During which time the ship took part in a non-combatant evacuation and peace building operation in Guinea-Bissau, in 1998, and Operation Allied Force, Kosovo, in 1999, integrating the Standing Naval Force Atlantic.

As a flag officer Admiral José Saldanha Lopes was Deputy-Assistant Chief of the Naval Staff in May 2006 and, following his promotion to Vice-Admiral, Commanded the Fleet as Naval Commander from October 2008 until promoted to Admiral, on 30 November, 2010, to assume the current post of Chief of the Naval Staff.

Admiral José Saldanha Lopes his knight of the Order of Avis and holds several other military decorations, namely five Distinguished Services, two Military Merit, the Aeronautical Merit and Africa Campaigns medals.

He is married to Maria da Graça. The couple have two grown-up daughters.