This article proposes a typology of six strategic functions over its five centuries of history. The Azores are used multiple times as (1) place of refuge; (2) rally point; (3) platform for invasion; (4) logistical support; (5) information-gathering station; and (6) diplomatic trump card. Inspired by José Medeiros Ferreira’s dichotomy of the Azores as either a ‘frontier’ or a place for ‘articulation’ between the two margins of the Atlantic, this categorisation seeks to reduce the historical complexity to categories based on a reading of history through the lens of strategic studies. Through it, we seek to identity essential continuities and their drivers, as well as to examine the non-linear relationship between the strategic dynamics of the Azores and the strategy of Portugal. Given the uncertainty which permeates perceptions of strategic relevance of the Azores after the downsizing of military personnel of Lajes Air Base from 2015, this analysis attempts to transfer the contributions of Azorean historiography to the field of strategy, and thus bring some clarity to that debate.