Brazil will have problems with defense in the future, says Army’s nº 2

The new Chief of Staff of the Army, General Fernando José Sant’ana Soares e Silva, said that Brazil would have problems with national defense in the “near future” if it does not invest in the sector.

For him, the increase in resources serves so that other nations will not coerce the country.

“I believe that we [Brazil] will have some defense problem at some point. Defense is not a very important issue in Brazilian society because nobody threatens Brazil directly. But I believe this will change in the near future, so we have to be prepared,” he said in an interview with Poder360.

“The Armed Forces have to be prepared to be an insurance of the Brazilian nation, an insurance of Brazilian society so that third countries do not coerce Brazilian society,” he said.

Soares e Silva is the current head of the CMS (Southern Military Command) and will hold the 2nd highest post in the Army starting in April.

He will replace Valério Stumpf, Chief of Staff, who will be retired.

Soares said it is “very difficult” for the military to keep themselves “updated” on the war realities and confrontations in other countries with few resources for the Defense sector.

He also affirmed that comparing the Brazilian military capacity with the USA’s is impossible. But, according to him, it is necessary that Brazil has at least one team “in conditions of a European army”.

“Even though we don’t have the budgetary capacity to have an Army, for example, I won’t even say the US Army, which spends US$800 billion in defense per year, and Brazil spends less than US$20 billion. You can’t make this comparison. But we have to have the capacity for at least part of our troops to have the same conditions as a European army,” he said.

POLITICIZATION

Soares attributed the declarations of politicization of the Armed Forces to the fact that reserve military personnel take a position. However, he said they could speak out.

“Many people are talking that we have to depoliticize the Force, but we [Army] are not politicized,” he said.

“Army is an institution of continuity; it is not personalistic. It doesn’t matter if it’s Peter or John. What matters is that there is a strategic plan, and it is fulfilled,” said Soares.

With information from Poder360