Brazil: commanders meet with Lula to discuss the modernization of the Armed Forces

The three commanders of the Brazilian Armed Forces are meeting with President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva this Monday afternoon (20) to discuss the modernization of the Armed Forces and put aside the mistrust from the January 8 acts.

Minister Rui Costa of the Civil House articulated the meeting last week, and the expectation was that it would take place this week.

According to the president’s official agenda, the meeting will be attended by

• the Defense Minister, José Múcio;
• the Army Commander, General Tomás Miguel Miné Ribeiro Paiva;
• the Navy Commander, Admiral Marcos Sampaio Olsen; and
• the Air Force Commander, Air Lieutenant Brigadier Marcelo Kanitz Damasceno.

According to Rui Costa, the government intends to expand investments in the Armed Forces, possibly through Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs).

However, he denied that the announcement of investments was “a pampering to the military” to avoid a bigger crisis.

“Other nations in the world, like, for example, large developed nations, have PPP projects to equip their Armed Forces. With this, they can anticipate investments that, if they were to depend only on annual budget resources, would not be possible,” said Costa.

The depredation of the headquarters of the Three Branches on January 8 accentuated the mutual distrust between the military and President Lula that already existed before he took office.

Those around the president raise suspicions about the actions of the Armed Forces that would have favored the vandalism on January 8.

With information from Gazeta do Povo