Brazil’s Operation Formosa 2022: interoperability at sea, on land, and in the air

Conducted by the Brazilian Navy through the Naval Rifle Corps since 1988, Operation Formosa is the largest expeditionary training operation that takes place every year in the Brazilian Central Plateau.

Since last year, the operation has included joint personnel from the Brazilian Air Force and the Brazilian Army, ratifying the interoperability between the Armed Forces.

The Naval Rifle Corps (Marine Infantry) of the Brazilian Navy trains in Formosa, for the 34th time, presented in 2022, and for the second consecutive year, a new format of the exercise The Sea Invaded the Cerrado, which simulates an amphibious assault from the beach inland, with the participation of troops and means of the Brazilian Army and fighter aircraft of the Brazilian Air Force.

Therefore, Operation Formosa 2022 was a large combined action of sea, land, and air forces, with the initial leadership of the Marines and Naval Aviation, which was later joined by the “overtaking” with Army forces, plus the support of reconnaissance, attack, and fighter aircraft of the Brazilian Air Force.

The Naval Rifle Corps committed more than 160 armored vehicles, tanks, and operational vehicles to the 34th Formosa Operation, including artillery, anti-aircraft weapons, and extensive logistical support material.

The A-29 Super Tucano, A-1M AMX, and C-130 Hercules performed missions for the Air Force, while Naval Aviation operated UH-17, UH-15, and UH-12 helicopters and an element of AF-1 Falcon fighters. Together, these aircraft added 12 aircraft to the formation.

Operation Formosa also involved olive drab troops from the 32nd Field Artillery Group (Dom Pedro I Group), equipped with 105 mm L118 (light gun) artillery shells, similar to those used by the Marine Artillery Battalion.

The D. Pedro I Group participated in the operation with five pieces, providing fire support to the activities developed by the Navy and the Air Force.

The field deployment of the firing line, central firing station, and topography demonstrated the effectiveness of using the Genesis system firing computer and also tested the actual firing of the L 118 light cannon.

These units operated together in the field, exchanging experiences and increasing fire coverage to reach the different targets presented during the exercise.

The CFN presented on the field all its operational means, individual M16A2 rifles, MAG, Minimi Para, and .50 machine guns, mortars, AT-4 and Carl Gustav recoilless weapons, and 40 mm grenade launchers, among other weapons.

In artillery, the light guns acted in parallel with the launch vehicles of the Astros 2020 system of the Marine Corps and the Army based in Formosa.

A unit equipped with specialized material to mitigate the effects of chemical, bacteriological, radiological, or nuclear weapons contamination was used in the NBCR Defense operations.

Vehicles, personnel, and equipment were decontaminated following rigorous procedures using costly technical machinery for procurement and maintenance.

On the last day of the exercise, the Minister of Defense, Army General Paulo Sérgio Nogueira de Oliveira, and the Commander of the Brazilian Navy, Admiral Almir Garnier Santos, personally accompanied the end of Operation Formosa, which began on August 2.

Both were accompanied by several military and civilian authorities.

The preparation, assembly, engagement, and demobilization brought 3,500 military personnel from the Navy, Army, and Air Force.

All aircraft, armored vehicles, vehicles, weapons, and other equipment for communications, logistics, and health were used in this complex training.

In the demonstration, the aircraft performed gliding flights, and the Astros vehicles launched their respective rockets.

M113, Unimog 5000, Mowag Piranha III, CLANF Amphibious Tracker, SK-105 A2S, Astros 2020 launch vehicles, and 105 mm self-propelled projectiles participated in the maneuver.

Special Forces Fractions, Precursor Paratroopers, Amphibious Commandos, Combat Divers, and a PARA-SAR team acted decisively behind enemy lines in night missions that included operational free-fall from helicopters and C-130 Hercules, among other operational profiles used.

At the end of the demonstration, and after a series of slope jumps with precise landings, a Navy medic, acting in integration with the partners of each special forces team, presented the Minister of Defense, Sergio Nogueira de Oliveira, with a Brazilian flag.

Lieutenant-Captain (Md) Franciane Zamparetti Callegari, radiologist and nuclear doctor with a specialization in NBC Defense, had the opportunity to jump “connected” to a Navy special forces operator (double jump).

The official highlighted the importance of this experience. “It was the first time I participated in the Operation with two jumps, and the last one, with the delivery of the Brazilian flag to the Minister of Defense, was special.”

NAVAL RIFLE CORPS FORCE

The Fleet Marine Corps Force (FFE) is the Brazilian Navy’s amphibious troop that acts in Naval Warfare Operations, actions with limited use of force and benign activities.

It is a ready-to-use strategic force, amphibious and expeditionary in nature.

In April this year, the Marine Corps Rapid Reaction Force was certified by the United Nations (UN) as Peace Operations Readiness Level 3, the highest operational level for that organization.

The corps was the first in the country to achieve this certification and is currently the only one in the world.

The commander of the Fleet Marine Corps Force, Vice Admiral (Marines) Carlos Chagas Vianna Braga, highlighted the main challenges for the execution of an operation of this scale.

“The first was a logistical challenge to bring this number of Marines and sailors from Rio de Janeiro to Formosa, especially the amount of equipment, vehicles, and armored vehicles we brought. The second big challenge is that we operate with live ammunition requiring qualified and professional troops.”

With information from InfoDefensa