Resende (RJ) – On Wednesday 8th, in a ceremony held at the Agulhas Negras Military Academy (AMAN), the Brazilian Army handed over the presidency of the Conference of American Armies (CAA) to the Mexican Army. The ceremony was led by the Commander of the Brazilian Army, General Tomás, who was previously president of the CAA. On the occasion, in front of various participants in the Conference and a group of cadets from the Academy, the Commander handed over command of the international body to General Cortez, Chief of Staff and representative of the Commander of the Mexican Army.
The Brazilian Army headed the CAA for the 2022-2023 biennium, which corresponded to Cycle XXXV of the Conference. The Mexican army will lead the body for the 2024-2025 biennium, which will have the obligatory theme “The new roles adopted by the American armies as a response to the challenges of the 21st century within the framework of international and national legislation”.
At AMAN, General Tomás stressed the significance of the cadets’ presence at the ceremony. “These young men and women represent the future of our Army, as they will lead the Land Force in the not too distant future. We couldn’t hold this ceremony anywhere else but at the foot of the Agulhas Negras massif, where they dedicate themselves daily to learning leadership as a multiplier of the
combat power of our armies. This is the heart of the Brazilian Army”.
The Commander also congratulated the Mexican army on taking over the chairmanship of the CAA. “I wish you every success in running this organization, which dates back to 1960. Count on the support of our Army so that we have two years of great relevance for the mission.” General Cortez, who represented the Commander of the Mexican Army, pledged the institution’s commitment to
running the CAA. “We sincerely thank the commander of the Brazilian Army for his great work over these two years. Be assured that we will dedicate ourselves to
continuing the work done.”
Before the handover, General Tomás and the other commanders and participants in the CEA checked the readiness of the troops of the 1st Army Division at the Zenóbio da Costa Parade Ground in Rio de Janeiro. More than 4,300 soldiers from various military organizations took part in the activity. Head of the Eastern Military Command’s Operations Centre, General Baldassarri stressed the importance of the Eastern Military Command’s participation in the organization of the Conference of Commanders of the American Armies.
“It was a privilege to be able to host the closing of another cycle of the Conference, because it gave us the opportunity to put into practice everything we have trained in security, in intelligence training, to provide a safe environment. We also demonstrated our operational capabilities by presenting a group of troops at the Vila Militar, one of the largest garrisons in the Brazilian Army in terms of personnel”.
Conference of American Armies
The CAA is a discussion forum that identifies issues of mutual interest in the field of defense, increases cooperation and integration between armies, determines concrete initiatives to improve interoperability and deals with issues established by common agreement. The CAA has 29 members, including armies and international organizations.
Cycle XXXV had as its obligatory theme “The contribution of the Conference of American Armies to the process of transformation and preparation of the ‘Army of the Future’ to expand cooperation and integration in facing the challenges and threats that could affect the security and stability of the American Continent”.
To discuss the issue, the CAA organized six specialized conferences, under the responsibility of different countries, to deal with issues such as interoperability, army transformation processes, cyber security and defense, modernization processes and doctrine development, among others.
Cycle XXXV also included a Combined Exercise focused on humanitarian aid in the event of a natural disaster, Operation Paraná III, in the region of Foz do Iguaçu (PR). Planned in 2022 and carried out on the ground in 2023, the operation involved troops from the CEA’s member armies.
