The Armed Forces of Brazil, France, Guiana, and Suriname participated in the combined exercise Fer de Lance 2023, which took place, between March 7 and 21, on the coast and in the jungle of French Guiana to promote the interoperability of regional forces, among other aspects.
The military maneuvers, which brought together more than 1,000 military personnel from the four countries, were coordinated by the Forces Armées en Guyane (Guiana Armed Forces), whose command is based in Cayenne, the capital of this French colony located in northeastern South America.
PARTICIPATING UNITS
Brazil deployed troops from the Army’s 34th Jungle Infantry Battalion and the Marinha’s ocean support vessel NApOc Iguatemi (G151).
Guiana was represented by 24 members of its Defense Force, and Suriname by a mixed platoon of 27 military personnel from the Army and the Navy.
The host, for its part, participated with units attached to the Forces Armées en Guyane, which led the operation, and the Forces Armées aux Antilles, with its headquarters established on the island of Martinique.
The intervention of the Forces Armées in Guyane consisted of the following:
- the 3rd Régiment Étranger d’Infanterie de la Légion Etrangère and the 9th Régiment d’Infanterie de Marine, of the Armée de Terre;
- and Eads-Casa CN-235 transport aircraft and Aérospatiale SA 330 Puma and Airbus H125M Fennec helicopters, attached to the 367th Air Base ‘Capitaine François Massé’ of the Armée de l’Air et de l’Espace, located in Cayenne.
The Forces Armées aux Antilles sent elements of the 33e Régiment d’Infanterie de Marine of the Armée de Terre and the patrol vessel La Combattante (P730) of the Marine Nationale.
MANEUVERS
Exercise Fer de Lance 2023 comprised maneuvers of various types conducted on land and at sea using light tactical vehicles, heavy mortars, drones, aircraft, and ships.
Among other exercises, the following occurred:
- reconnaissance, infiltration, targeting, and intelligence maneuvers were carried out from land, sea, and air;
- air evacuation of nationals in danger in a foreign country, called RESEVAC;
- air evacuation of people from a local conflict zone and subsequent assistance, medical care, and accommodation;
- aeromedical evacuation (MEDEVAC);
- peace, security, and humanitarian missions.
With information from Infodefensa