Brazilian Defense Minister ups the ante on the suspension of the purchase of armored cars and applies lesson

The Minister of Defense, General Paulo Sérgio Nogueira de Oliveira, highlighted the importance of stimulating the Brazilian Defense industry to inhibit potential aggressions against national sovereignty and generate employment and income.

“We know how fundamental the Defense industry is for the necessary deterrence of eventual threats and the economic development of the country,” said the minister while participating in the opening of the 7th BID Show – Brazilian Defense Industrial Base.

The declaration comes shortly after the Federal Regional Court of Brasilia (TRF-1) suspended the purchase of 98 Italian armored cars by the Brazilian Army.

Judge Wilson Alves de Souza granted the request of a former adviser of Antonio Palocci, considering the investment a “ridiculous measure” because it represents the renovation of less than 5% of the fleet in times of peace.

In a statement, the Army said it complies with the court decision while taking “the appropriate measures.

In an internal statement, the head of the Army’s Social Communication Center, General Júlio César Baltieri, said that the purchase of the Centauro II 8 x 8 vehicles with its own resources is part of the modernization project that foresees the substitution of part of the current fleet of Cascavel EE9 armored vehicles, whose useful life has come to an end after four decades of use.

“The purchase is justified because it meets the evident need for technological updating of this type of material.”

Baltieri maintains that this purchase is justified,

• to meet the evident need for technological updating of this type of material;
• to provide indispensable security for our soldiers during training and operations;
• and allow the Land Force to perform its duties with adequate conditions for what it proposes.

Endorsing the Defense Minister’s arguments when he adds that “the process – which has been underway for years and consists of various stages – will contribute internally to strengthening the Defense Industrial Base, with the creation of new jobs and the effective participation of national companies in the production of the vehicle in the national territory.

Still, according to the general, the initial contract that would be signed contemplated the delivery to the Army of only two samples of the armored vehicle for testing.

“Only after the approval of these prototypes will the main contract be signed, aiming to obtain a total of 98 vehicles over 15 years, according to the budgetary availability of the Land Force, totaling an estimated investment of R$ 3.3 billion.

The Minister of Science, Technology, and Innovations, Paulo Alvim, and the Minister of Defense, Paulo Sérgio Nogueira, during the opening of the 7th BID Brazil Show, an event of the defense and security segment, in Brasilia.

Also, during the opening of the 7th BID Brazil, the Minister of Science, Technology, and Innovations, Paulo Cesar Alvim, said that the two portfolios have been seeking to act jointly so that the training of the Armed Forces drives the country to seek technological autonomy.

“We built a common agenda for science, technology, and innovation that only materialized in 2021 when we went to the field and the investments returned to irrigate the Defense demands.”

“Is it what we would like? We are still far from ideal, but we have started. And we have to transform this into a long-term process, into state action,” defended Alvim, affirming that he has talked about these actions with the commanders of the three Armed Forces.

“We have been following several initiatives that value Brazilian engineering closely, in the three Forces, always articulated with the Brazilian business sector.”

This is called technological sovereignty.