Brazilian Armed Forces The Armed Forces of Brazil , Formed by Army , by Navy and Air Forces , are a permanent and regular national institutions , and have the constitutional mission , ensure the defense of Homeland , The guarantee of constitutional powers , and at their instigation , the law and order . The Armed Forces of Brazil are the second largest military force of Americas ( Losing only to United States Armed Forces ) , The largest in Latin America and also one of the better prepared armed forces of the world . Overview . The Armed forces of Brazil comprise the Brazilian Army , the Brazilian Navy and the Brazilian Air Force . The Military Police and Military Fire Brigades state and district are described as Auxiliary Forces reservations are constitutional and Brazilian Army . The armed forces are subordinate to federal forces Ministry of Defence . Brazilian Air Force . " Main Article " : Brazilian Air Force The Brazilian Air Force is the branch of aerial war of Brazilian armed forces . Brazilian air force was formed when the divisions of Army Air and Navy were merged into a single military force , initially called " national air force . " Those two divisions transferred their air equipment , Facilities and staff for the new armed force . The F . A . B . is the greatest Air Force in Latin America , with about 700 Aircraft manned in service , and rely on March 23 , 2007 with a staff 65 610 people . Plus an additional 7 , 500 civilian personnel employed by the Air Force . Brazilian Army . The Brazilian Army is the branch os the armed forces based on land , with a force of about 235 , 000 soldiers . The Brazilian Army has fought in many international conflicts , like the Paraguayan War and World War II . Following the declaration of Brazilian independence from Portugal in 1822 , the Brazilian Army defeated the Portuguese army , especially in Bahia , forming the Brazilian Empire , whose emperor was Emperor Dom Pedro I . Between 1865 to 1870 , Brazil , Uruguay and Argentina ( the " Triple Alliance " ) fought to defend themselves against aggression from Paraguay . After five years of war , the Alliance defeated Paraguay . With Brazilian contingent forming around 85 % of the allied army , and the Brazilian Navy forming almost 100 % of the allied naval force . In August 1942 , after German and Italian submarines have sunk Brazilian merchant ships , popular mobilization forced the Brazilian government to declare war on Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany . In July 1944 , the Brazilian Expeditionary Force was sent to Europe to join the Allies in the Italian Campaign . The Brazilian Expeditionary Force managed to capture 20 , 573 prisoners and suffered 443 . The army also had the support of the Brazilian Air Force in the European battlefields . And the Navy of Brazil was in charge of protecting the Brazilian coast and the naval routes of the South Atlantic In 1964 , the Brazilian Armed Forces , commanded by General Humberto de Alencar Castelo Branco took power through a coup , starting to Brazil ' s military dictatorship , which lasted until March 1985 . More recently , the Brazilian Army , took part in various peacekeeping missions of the United Nations , most recently in Haiti . The Brazilian Army has the largest number of armored vehicles in South America , plus armored vehicles for troop transport and main battle tanks . It features a large elite unit , with commando and special forces units , specializing in unconventional missions , the Special Operations Brigade , unique in Latin America , as well as a Strategic Rapid Action Force formed by units highly deployable and well prepared ( Special Operations Brigade , Brigade of Parachutist Infantry , 1st Battalion of Jungle Infantry ( Airmobile ) and 12th Light Infantry Brigade ( Airmobile ) to act in any part of the country , in short time , in cases of external aggression . Moreover , it has units that are experts in fighting in biomes characteristic of Brazilian territory as the pantanal ( 17th Border Battalion ) , the caatinga ( 72nd Motorized Infantry Battalion ) , mountain ( 11th Mountain Infantry Battalion ) and jungle . Jungle units are internationally renowned , recognized as being among the best units of the world in this environment . They formed by natives in the Amazon region and from soldiers from other regions , specialists in jungle warfare by the Centro de Instrução de Guerra na Selva . Such units are framed by the 1st , 2nd , 16th , 17th and 23th jungle Infantry Brigade . Brazilian Navy . The Brazilian Navy is military responsible for naval operations and for guarding territorial waters of Brazil . It is the oldest of the Brazilian Armed Forces , and the biggest Navy of Latin America , one of the few navies of the Latin America to operate an aircraft carrier . The NAe São Paulo ( A - 12 ) of 27 307 t , Also has frigates , corvettes , oceanic patrol vessels and coastal tankers , landing troops and armor , submarines and many other coastal and river boats , helicopters and Skyhawk fighters . Marine Corps . The Navy of Brazil includes the Brazilian Marine Corps and the Naval Aviation . The Brazilian Naval Aviation is the air component of the Navy of Brazil , now known as Brazilian Naval Air Force . The aerial structure is subject to the Naval Air Force Command , the military organization responsible for providing operational air support from Navy ships in Brazil . Trained as " Ready Force Performance " , the Marines currently have approximately 15 000 men , all voluntary exam . Professionals in combat in air , at sea and especially ground fighting , but the main unit the Special Operations Battalion Marines , the mission of the Marine Corps is to ensure the projection of naval power ashore through landings were conducted jointly with ships and troops of the Navy . To be able to fulfill their missions , the Marines undergo rigorous physical training , usually with racing all day , sleepless nights , swimming , apnea , practical shooting with different weapons , especially rifles , rappelling , patrolling by land , river patrols , first aid , wilderness survival , rappelling , Fast Hope , training with radios and pitfalls of war , and martial arts . Federal Police . The paramilitary Federal Police ( Polícia Federal de Departamento ) , with 25 700 men , although a part of the armed forces is subject , however , the Brazilian Ministry of Interior ( Like the Russian FSB ) . The Federal Police has similar functions as the German Federal Police , such as border security . The Força Nacional de Segurança Pública ( FNSP ) is the Military police of Brazil . The Brazilian Federal Police has one special force the Comando de Operações Taticas ( Tactical Operations Command ) Conscription . The CIA World Factbook of 2008 reports the age at which the defendant is Conscription at Brazil it is between 19 – 45 years and duration of service is 9 – 12 months . The age for voluntary service is between 17 – 45 years and a percentage increasing the troops are professional volunteers ' time of service . " The Brazilian military personnel , according to calculations 2005 are 45 . 586 million men ( Aged between 19 – 49 years ) and 45 . 728 million women ( aged 19 – 49 years ) available for military service , these 33 , 119 , 000 men ( aged 19 – 49 years ) and 38 . 079 million females aged between 19 – 49 years of the age are available to serve the army . An analysis conducted in 2005 indicated that the 1 . 785 million males aged between 18 – 49 years and 1 . 731 million women aged between 19 - 49 year old , reaching annual age for military service . Men of Brazil should do compulsory military service for 12 months since completing 18 years . However , most listed are dispensed without the need of the service . Normally , this service is coordinated to provide military bases near the home of recruit . Since the early 1980s , women are allowed to serve in the military , Brazilian Army was the first army of South America accepted that women in troops career , women only serve in the Navy and Aviation Corps in Reserve . In 2006 , Graduated the first class of female pilots . Relocation of Troops . The Brazil is the need to patrol its 15 735 km of land borders . Since the 1990s Brazil has been trying to relocate its forces , according to this requirement of national security . Between 2003 and 2008 , The 2nd Jungle Infantry Brigade ( Brazil ) | 2nd Jungle Infantry Brigade , The 3rd Infantry Battalion ( Brazil ) , the 19th Logistics Battalion ( Brazil ) and 22nd Military Police Platoon were provided by Army State of Rio de Janeiro for Amazon . Furthermore , the 1st and the 3rd Combat Regiment were also relocated from Rio de Janeiro for city of Santa Maria in State of Rio Grande do Sul . Despite these efforts , the states of Rio de Janeiro , Minas Gerais and Espirito Santo continue to focus on more than 49 , 000 soldiers . In May 2008 , The Navy announce plans to reposition its forces in Brazil .