“There’s No Military Wing in Government,” says Brazilian Defense Minister

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The Minister of Defense, Fernando Azevedo e Silva, stressed that Brazil’s Armed Forces are dissociated from the reserve generals holding positions in the Planalto Palace. During a live broadcast on Thursday, July 9th, the 4-star General claimed that there is no military wing in the government.

“It’s difficult, but I’ll outline the concept. Part of the press labels it a military wing. The wing I know is the samba-school wing”, he ironized. “It’s not that it bothers me, it’s just that it’s not true in practice.”

When asked about deterioration or contamination within the barracks by the presence of active military officers in Jair Bolsonaro’s government, the Minister of Defense praised the reserve generals who command civilian portfolios but made it clear that they do not represent the Army, Navy or Air Force.

The Minister’s statements, made during a virtual meeting promoted by the ‘Personalidades em Foco’ group, take place in the wake of news that the military would be interested in interfering in politics, and in view of dubious statements by the President and his allies about potential constitutional breaches.

Deputy Eduardo Bolsonaro, the President’s son, even mentioned on the subject that “it is no longer an opinion on ”if”, but on ”when” this (a coup) will occur,”

Fernando Azevedo e Silva stressed that the Armed Forces “are government institutions” and that he is their only “political representative”. “There is no other representative,” he said. He then stated that he is aligned with the military commanders, “responsible” for the barracks and military activities. “Beyond the barracks wall, I handle the political aspect. Within the barracks wall, I have the Navy, Army, and Air Force captains. We’ve arranged it, and it’s going very well.”

The Minister said there are no records of political positions within the military. “We don’t see any political statements from anyone in the barracks, on active duty. There are none,” he said. “This is the real military segment, which is on a daily basis,” he added. “The forces are government institutions, working for the government.”

The Minister also proposed an increase in spending for the Armed Forces from the current 1.3 percent of GDP to two percent. Advocating the proposal, he said this rate is adopted by all North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) countries. He also stressed that the Covid-19 pandemic has left the budgetary situation unpredictable for 2021 and 2022, despite acknowledging that 2019 was a “very good” year.

Source: Estadão Conteúdo