Exército Brasileiro - Brazilian Army Organization
The Army General Staff (Estado-Maior do Exército--EME) directs training and operations. The EME has expanded from four sections in 1968 to fifteen sections in 1994. It is headed by the EME chief, except in the event of a war.
From 1946 through 1985, the army was divided into four numbered armies: the First Army was centered in Rio de Janeiro, the Second Army in São Paulo, the Third Army in Porto Alegre, and the Fourth Army in Recife. Historically, the First Army was the most politically significant because of Rio de Janeiro's position as the nation's capital through the 1950s. The Third Army was also important because of its shared border with Argentina (Brazil's traditional rival in Latin America) and Uruguay. In 1964, for example, close to two-thirds of the Brazilian troops were in the Third Army, and somewhat fewer than one-third were in the First Army. The rest were sprinkled throughout the Second and Fourth Armies. The Planalto Military Command (Comando Militar do Planalto--CMP), comprising the Federal District and Goiás State, and the Amazon Military Region Command (Comando Militar da Amazônia--CMA) supplemented the four armies.
On January 1, 1986, the army was restructured from four numbered armies and two military commands into seven military commands. The major addition was the Western Military Command (Comando Militar do Oeste -- CMO), whose territory encompasses the states of Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul (previously under the Second Army territory), and Rondônia (previously under the CMA). Each of the seven military commands has its headquarters in a major city: Eastern Military Command (Comando Militar do Leste--CML), Rio de Janeiro; Southeastern Military Command (Comando Militar do Sudeste--CMSE), São Paulo; Southern Military Command (Comando Militar do Sul--CMS), Porto Alegre; Northeastern Military Command (Comando Militar do Nordeste--CMN), Recife; CMO, Campo Grande; CMP, Brasília; and CMA, Manaus. The CMP and CMO are led by major generals (three-star); the other five are headed by full generals (four-star). The army is divided further into eleven military regions. The CMSE is made up of only one state, São Paulo, and is in charge of protecting the industrial base of the country.
The changes were instituted as part of a modernization campaign to make the army better prepared for rapid mobilization. The reorganization reflected Brazil's geopolitical drive to "occupy the frontier" and the growing importance of Brasília, the Amazon, and western Brazil. In 1997 there were major units around Brasília, four jungle brigades, and five jungle battalions extending from Amapá to Mato Grosso do Sul. A tour with jungle units is a coveted assignment and is considered career-enhancing.
The move to occupy the Amazon and the short-term political implications of the army's reorganization should not be overstated. The army's geographic organization and distribution have continued to reflect a concern with internal rather than external defense. In what is perhaps an anachronism, the CML in Rio de Janeiro continues to have some of the best troop units and the most modern equipment. Command of the CML is still a coveted assignment, and the Military Village (Vila Militar), Rio de Janeiro's garrison or military community, is still considered one of the most important centers of military influence in the entire country. Principal army schools are located there or nearby. The CML is also important in countering the trafficking of drugs and armaments.
In a significant political development, the army established a formal High Command in 1964. Before that time, a clique of generals residing in Rio de Janeiro controlled major decisions of the army. Throughout the authoritarian period, tensions often existed between the High Command and the five generals who served as president. This tension was such that President Geisel dismissed Minister of Army Sylvio Frota in 1977. Since the January 1986 restructuring, the High Command has been composed of the seven regional commanders, the chief of staff, and the minister of army. The High Command meets to discuss all issues, including those of a political nature, and is responsible for drawing up the list of generals from which the president chooses those who will be promoted to four stars.
Arms are divided into two groups: the Base Arms (infantry and cavalry) and arms of combat support (artillery, engineering and communications). Support arms complement the Mission of the base, either by weapons fire support of its howitzers, cannons, rockets and missiles (Anti-aircraft Guns and campaign-EsACosAAe; by the mobility and contramobilidade (engineering) and the installation and maintenance of systems for C2 (command and control) and electronic warfare-CCOMGEx/DF (communications).
The infantry has as its essential characteristic the ability to fight on foot, in all types of terrain and under any weather conditions, and can use various means of transport. One of its missions is to seize and hold land, taking advantage of the ability of the infant of progress in small units, difficult to be detected in all types of terrain. The Brazilian infantry units are distinguished by different specialties: Armored, motorized, Parachutist, lightweight (Airmobile), mountain, jungle, Savanna, army, and guard police. They are trained to fight in various types of terrain, in any part of the national territory.
After the reforms of 1908/15 and the influence of the French mission (1921), the Cavalry underwent profound changes, which intensified from the Decade of the 1960s, with the Brazil-United States Military Agreement. This agreement allowed the Brazilian Cavalry endow their regiments with the most modern armored material from South America at the time.
Today, there are three regiments of guard Cavalry (Porto Alegre, Rio de Janeiro and Brasilia); Mechanized Cavalry brigades and armored; Mechanized Cavalry regiments in the army divisions and regiments of tanks in the armored infantry brigades. The force acquired new main battle tanks, the North American M60A3 TTS, and the German Leopard 1A1, of Belgian origin, further to the modernization of the Brazilian Cavalry.
Following the evolution of the times, artillery is organized into three branches: campaign, Anti-aircraft and coastal area. These have a wide range of materials, fitted to their military organizations for carrying out tasks of support by fire weapons-databases, perform the anti-aircraft and defend the coast. In addition, perfecting, with the support of information technology, survey system, target Search, observation and Direction of the shot.
Next to armaments that for several decades are appropriations of artillery military organisations, there are facilities that provide new standards of operational efficiency to the weapon. The Howitzer 105 mm M56 14/C, organic artillery units of the brigades of highly mobile, as the Parachutist and mild; the Astros II system of saturation, employed by coastal artillery units; the Howitzer 105 mm L118 Light Gun and the M 109 VBOAP A3, which are extending the depth of the fire support of field artillery; and the modern missiles IGLA, for anti-aircraft artillery. The concern of the army by increasing its means of fire support shows the importance of Artillery on the battlefield, with a role, as in the past, that remains unquestionable and fundamental.
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