Brazilian Army The Brazilian Army is the land arm of the Brazilian Armed Forces . The Brazilian Army has fought in several international conflicts , mostly in South America during the 19th century . In the 20th century , fought on the Allied side at World War I and World War II . Alligned with Western Bloc , it also had active participation on Cold War in Latin America and Southern of Africa , as well as have taken part in UN peacekeeping missions worldwide since late 1950s . Domestically , besides facing several rebellions throughout these two centuries , supported by key local elites and by big international capital , after has ended the monarchic period in the country , imposed to the rest of society its political views and economic development projects , during the periods ( 1889 - 94 , 1930 - 50 * and 1964 - 85 ) that it ruled the country . History . Origins . Although the Brazilian Army was created during the process of the independence of Brazil from Portugal , in 1822 , with the units of the Portuguese Army in Brazil that have remained loyal to Prince Dom Pedro , its origins can date back to Land Forces used by Portuguese in the colonial wars against French and Dutch , fought in 16th and 17th centuries . During the Independence process , the Army was initially composed of Brazilians , Portuguese and foreign mercenaries . Most of its commanders , were mercenaries and Portuguese officers loyal to Dom Pedro . Along 1822 and 1823 , the Brazilian Army was able to defeat the Portuguese resistance , especially in the North of country and in Cisplatina , having also avoid a fragmentation of the then new Brazilian Empire after its independence war . 19th century . After won the Independence War , the Army supported by the " National Guard " ( a paramilitary militia created in 1831 by the big owners of slave and land , known as " Colonels " ) , destroyed any separatist tendencies of the early years , enforcing central authority of the empire , during the Regency period in the country , repressing across Brazil a host of popular movements for political autonomy and / or against slavery and the colonels ' power . On May 1 , 1865 , Brazil , Uruguay and Argentina signed the Triple Alliance to defend themselves against aggression from Paraguay , which was ruled by the dictator Francisco López . López troops , after invading Brazilian territory through the state of Mato Grosso and the north of Argentina , were heading for the South of Brazil and North of Uruguay . Many slaves had been incorporated into the Brazilian forces to face the increasingly serious situation . As a result of their solid performance during the conflict , the Armed Forces developed a strong sense against slavery . After 5 years of a terrible warfare ( the largest in South American history ) , the Alliance led by Brazil defeated Lopez . Between 1893 and 1927 , the first Republican Period , the Army had to deal with various movements : some were derived from Navy and Army corps who were unsatisfied with the regime and clamoring for democratic changes , while others had popular origins without conventional political intentions guided by messianic leaders , like in Canudos and Contestado Wars . 20th century . During World War I the Brazilian government sent three small military groups to Europe soon after declaring war upon Central Powers in October 1917 . The first two units were from the Army ; one consisted of medical staff and the other of a sergeants - officers corps , and both were attached to the French Army in the Western Front in 1918 . From October 1930 to 1945 , the Army supported the Getúlio Vargas regime against opposition , defeating the Constitutionalist Revolt in 1932 and two separate coup d ' état attempts : by Communists in November , 1935 and by Fascists in May , 1938 . The Army also helped to formalize the dictatorship in 1937 . In August 1942 , after German and Italian submarines sunk many Brazilian merchant ships , popular mobilization forced the Brazilian government to declare war on Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany . In July 1944 , after almost two years of public pressure , one expeditionary force , called Força Expedicionária Brasileira ( FEB ) , was sent to Europe to join the Allied forces in the Italian campaign . The FEB was composed of more than 25 , 000 men and was commanded by Major - General ( later Marshal ) João Baptista Mascarenhas de Morais . On night of March 31 , 1964 , the Brazilian Army , then led by General Humberto de Alencar Castelo Branco , seized power through an coup d ' état , which began an Military Dictatorship that lasted 21 years . This was the first of a series of coups d ' état in South America that replaced democratically elected governments with military regimes . These dictatorships dominated South America until the 1980s . In this period the Brazilian Army employed harsh means to suppress militant dissident groups : changing the law , restricting political rights , after harassing and pursuing dissidents ; and militarily , with support of police forces and militias , proceeding with methods of counter - guerrilla and counter - insurgency warfare to defeat the guerrilla movements that tried to combat the regime by force . The urban guerrilla s were active in Brazil between 1968 and 1971 while in the rural areas the 2 main movements subdued by the Army were respectively , one in the region where are today the Caparaó National Park ( 1967 ) and the other one in the region of Araguaya River ( 1972 – 74 ) . Internationally , in 1965 the Brazilian Army joined forces with US Marines intervening in the Dominican Republic , in Operation Powerpack . Already during the 1970s strengthened interchange and cooperative ties with armies from other South American countries giving and receiving advisement about counter - guerrilla and counter - insurgency methods , as for example in the Operation Condor , a procedural coordination to find , capture and eliminate political dissidents in mainland . In the mid ' 70s , despite the dissent annulled ( by elimination , detention or exile ) , the leftist guerrillas defeated and the legal opposition tamed , repression was not reduced . This added to the vices and the wear and tear of years of dictatorial power , plus the effects of the then oil / energy crisis and the Latin American debt one , during the late ' 70s and early ' 80s , led to increasing social pressures for democracy , which slowly but steadily forced the army to return to its professional activities . 21st century . Since the late 1950s it has taken part in some United Nations peacekeeping missions as for example : in Suez 1956 - 67 , East Timor 1999 - 2004 , Angola 1995 - 1997 and Haiti since 2004 , being the latest , the most recent outside intervention in that nation , as well as the longest length operation in the history of Brazilian military outside the country . On February 26 , 1991 , a group 40 guerrillas of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia , who termed themselves " Command Simon Bolivar " , entered Brazilian territory , near the border between Brazil and Colombia , on the banks of the State of Rio Traíra Amazon and raided the Detachment Traíra Brazilian Army , which was in semi - permanent installations and had a much lower effective guerrilla column that attacked him . Immediately the Brazilian Army sent its main elite troops , elements of special forces and command and Special Forces Battalion and also jungle warriors of the hitherto 1st Battalion Special Frontier , to attack the guerrilla base that was in Colombian territory , near the border . Also supported , military 1st Jungle Infantry Battalion , the main unit of the Amazon Military Command . The Army Aviation Command was present providing the means of transport used by the combatants employed in mission . In the great earthquake that occurred in Haiti on January 12 , 2010 , eighteen Brazilian soldiers died . The Brazilian Army has now about 1 . 250 troops in Haiti and will envoy more 900 until March 2010 , to help the reconstruction of that country . The Brazilian Army is trying to renew its equipment and making a redistribution of its barracks in all the Brazilian Regions , prioritizing the Amazon . After the promulgation of Brazilian National Defense Strategy , in December 2008 , the Brazilian Government appears to be interested in the Armed Forces modernization . In 2010 , during the Rio de Janeiro Security Crisis , the Brazilian Army sent 800 paratroopers to combat drug trafficking in Rio de Janeiro . Following the invasion , approximately 2 , 000 Army soldiers were sent to occupy the Complexo do Alemão . Notable Battles time line . Colonial era : Empire : Republic : Personnel . The Brazilian Army had a recorded personnel strength of 235 , 000 active personnel in 2012 . In addition there were approximately 1 , 600 , 000 reserve soldiers . In principle , the Brazilian Constitution designates the 400 , 000 - strong Brazilian State Police as a reserve force of the Army , although in practice they remain separate entities . Conscription . According to Article 143 of the 1988 Brazilian Constitution , military service is mandatory for men , but conscientious objection is allowed . Women and clergymen are exempt from compulsory military service . At the year that they complete age eighteen , men are required to register for the draft and are expected to serve when they reach age nineteen . About 75 percent of those registering receive deferments . Generally , those from the upper class and upper middle class find ways to defer , and as a result the ranks are made up primarily of lower - class and lower - middle - class recruits . A growing number of recruits are volunteers , accounting for about one - third of the total . Those who serve generally spend one year of regular enlistment at an army garrison near their home . Some are allowed nine - month service terms but are expected to complete high school at the same time . These are called " Tiros de Guerra " or " shooting schools " , which are for high school boys in medium - sized interior towns , run by Army senior NCO , Sergeant Majors or First Sergeants , rarely a Second Lieutenant . In Brazilian Armed Forces , Sergeant Majors may be promoted to the Officers Rank , as Second Lieutenant , First Lieutenant and Captain , becoming part of the Auxiliary Officers Corps ) . The army is the only service with a large number of conscripts ; the navy and air force have very few . The conscript system is primarily a means of providing basic military training to a sizable group of young men who then return to civilian life and are retained on the reserve rolls until age forty - five . The army recognizes that it provides a public service by teaching large numbers of conscripts basic skills that can be valuable to the overall economy when the young men return to civilian life . Officer Recruitment . Because the only entry into the regular officer corps is the AMAN , its records provide an accurate picture of the officer corps . In the decades following World War II , cadets from middle - class families increased , while those from upper - class and unskilled lower - class families declined . The total number of applicants also declined as a result of economic development diversification , which gave high school graduates more attractive options than entering the military . Increasingly , AMAN cadets came from among the graduates of the army - supported Military Schools , which sons of military personnel attended tuition free . Many of these students were sons of NCOs whose own origins were not middle class , so a form of intra - institutional , upward mobility existed . The trend in the 1960s to recruit from civilian sources has abated . The mental , health , and physical aptitude tests excluded large numbers of civilian school graduates : in 1977 of 1 , 145 civilians attempting the tests , only thirty - four , or 3 percent , were admitted . In 1985 only 174 , or 11 percent , of the AMAN ' s 1 , 555 cadets were graduates of civilian schools ; the rest were from the army ' s Military School system , the Cadet Preparatory School ( Escola Preparatória de Cadetes — EPC ) , or air force or navy secondary schools . In the early 1990s , AMAN cadets were drawn exclusively from those who had completed the EPC . By the mid - 1990s , the AMAN ' s cadet population was about 3 , 000 . In the twentieth century , the officer corps has been composed predominantly of men from the Southeast and South of Brazil , where military units and greater educational opportunities have been concentrated . In 1901 - 02 the Northeast contributed 38 percent of students at the army ' s preparatory school in Realengo , whereas in 1982 it provided only 13 percent to the preparatory school in Campinas . In the same years , the Southeast supplied 40 . 4 percent and 77 percent , while the South gave 8 . 6 percent and 6 . 3 percent . Although São Paulo , according to Alfred Stepan and other observers , has not been noted for sending its young men into the officer corps , its contribution increased from 4 . 3 percent of students in 1901 - 02 to 33 . 5 percent in 1982 . Regional origins of cadets at the AMAN were fairly consistent in the 1964 - 85 period . By far the largest contingent came from the state and city of Rio de Janeiro . Although social theorists might be pleased with indications that the army is serving as a vehicle for social mobility , army leaders are concerned . Officers have remarked on the trend toward lower - class recruitment in the Training Center for Reserve Officers ( Centro de Preparação de Oficiais da Reserva — CPOR ) and the problems associated with such officers . In a 1986 interview , the former minister of army , General Leônidas Pires Gonçalves , observed that he did not want officers who would give only five or ten years to the army ; he wanted individuals with a military vocation , who would stay for a full thirty - plus - year career . Many officers have expressed concern that those seeking to use the army to improve their status are not sufficiently dedicated to the institution . Indeed , some officers seek the earliest possible retirement in order to get a second job ( second salary ) to make ends meet . Women in the Army . Women did not participate in Brazil ' s armed forces until the early 1980s . The Brazilian Army became the first army in South America to accept women into the permanent and career ranks . In 1992 , for example , 2 , 700 women out of 5 , 000 candidates competed for 136 positions within the Officer ' s Complementary Corps ( Quadro Complementar de Oficiais — QCO ) . To begin a career with the army , women must have completed a bachelor ' s degree in areas such as law , computer science , economics , or accounting . The competition is national in scope , and no applicant may be more than thirty - six years of age . Those accepted into the program study at the Army ' s School of Complementary Formation ( former Army ' s School of Administration ) in Salvador , beginning as first lieutenants ( reserve ) . The School of Complementary Formation is also open to men . At the end of the one - year course , the graduate is promoted to first lieutenant in the permanent ranks . Organization , formations and structure . Military Commands . The Army is structured into seven military commands . Each of the seven military commands is responsible for one or more military regions . Military Regions . The Brazilian territory is further divided into twelve military regions . Each military form , in wartime , one division of 2 to 4 brigades . A military region has jurisdiction over one or more states and is subordinate to a military command . Main units . Brigade s : Airmobile Brigade . The 12th Light Infantry Brigade ( Airmobile ) - is a major elite units of the Brazilian Army . Headquartered in Caçapava in São Paulo . Its catchment area covers the whole country . It is framed by the 2nd Division Army / Southeastern Military Command , based in São Paulo . Is organized , equipped and adestrada for missions on short notice and at any point of the country . Can move by air , for business jets and civilian aircraft and helicopters of the Brazilian Air Force , but their primary means of transportation are the rotorcraft Command Army Aviation . From bases located near their barracks , their main means of transport is by helicopter , means of transport by which performs its main function , the airmobile assault , the Light Brigade constitutes an effective instrument of strategic reach , permanently available Land Force , being an integral unit of the Rapid Action Force and Strategic ( RAF ) Brazilian Army . Army Aviation Brigade . The Army Aviation Command , also known as Ricardo Kirk Brigade , is a brigade of the Brazilian Army , located in Taubaté and linked to the Land Operations Command and the Southeastern Military Command . Its historical name is a reference to Captain Ricardo Kirk , pioneer of military aviation in Brazil , killed in battle in the Contestado War . The task of the Brazilian Army Aviation Command is to provide organic airmobility and support the ground forces by providing tactical air support , close air support and reconnaissance . Law and Order Operations Brigade . The 11th Light Infantry Brigade is one of the brigades operating in the Brazilian Army . Its headquarters is located in Campinas , São Paulo . Brigade specializes in urban interventions conflicts with non - lethal ammunition and functions to act as a shock troop elite . Can also act on specific actions against organized crime . Jungle Warfare Brigades . The Brazilian Army has five Jungle Infantry Brigades ( 1st , 2nd , 16th , 17th , and 23rd Jungle Infantry Brigades ) and a Jungle Warfare Training Centre . The Jungle Warfare Training Centre - Centro de Instrução de Guerra na Selva ( CIGS ) , also known as Colonel Jorge Teixeira Centre , is a military organisation based in Manaus , intended to qualify military leaders of small groups , as wilderness warriors , fighters able to accomplish military nature missions in the most inhospitable areas of the Brazilian rainforest . Courses are taught in jungle operations scenery in different categories - Senior Officers , Officers , Senior Non - Commissioned Officers , Non - Commissioned Officers , Medical and Health Care Personnel , and small courses for the military , police forces and civilians . Its symbol is the jaguar . The Jungle Warfare Training Center ( CIGS ) is structured as Department of Education , a Department of Doctrine and Research , a Student Division , a Department of Veterinary Medicine , a Department of Administration and a Support Company . Although officers and NCOs from all over Brazil can apply to take courses at CIGS , most of the troopers that support trainings are locals , natives from the area are that are mainly privates and corporals . Because they are adapted to the conditions of the life inside the forest , they are more capable of performing a vast array of activities , such as hunting , hiding and moving through the forest with ease . Many foreingners and Brazilian military personnel that underwent training at CIGS have described the impressive abilities shown by these soldiers during operations . Their experience and skills in jungle survival certainly help shaping the Brazilian Jungle Warfare Brigades into deadliest units of its kind in the world . The Brigades also have experience in combat . Engaged in protecting the Northern borders of Brazil , the troops are constantly exposed to attacks from border countries guerrillas , drug dealers and criminals of all kinds . The Brazilian Army commonly acts along with other law enforcement organisations in order to fight not only the drugs trafficking , but also animals , weapons , people and several other illegal deeds . Paratroopers Brigade . The Paratroopers Brigade is a major elite units of the Brazilian Army . Its headquarters is located in Vila Militar , in the city of Rio de Janeiro . Subordinate to the Eastern Military Command , based in Rio de Janeiro , in conjunction with the Land Operations Command , based in Brasilia . The Brigade Parachute Infantry is one of the elite troops of the Brazilian Army . Ready to jump and operate behind enemy lines . Is prepared to act on within 48 hours anywhere in the country , is in the jungle , savanna , marsh and mountain , and remain without logistical support for up to 72 hours . After completion of the mission , handing territory to another conventional unit to maintain the position gained , according to the doctrine of the Brazilian Army training , usually a unit or a brigade of armoured Infantry will be responsible for replacing the Paratrooper Brigade field after the transfer of the territory to another unit of the Ground Force , the Paratrooper Brigade is thrown back behind enemy lines to make way for the Allied troops . The Brigade Parachute Infantry is a fundamental part of the Rapid Action Force and Strategic Brazilian Army , troops ready employment constituted by the set of large elite units whose mission is to defend the country in the shortest possible time , in case of an invasion territorial . Special Forces Brigade . The Special Operations Brigade is Brazil ' s special operations force . Although administratively assigned to the Plateau Military Command , the brigade ' s operations are under the direct control of the Land Operations Command . Special Forces were initially formed in 1957 as a parachute trained rescue unit , which specialized in conducting deep jungle rescues along the Amazon basin . After conducting its initial selection , a US Army Special Forces Mobile Training Team ( MTT ) conducted the unit ' s first training course . Nowadays , it is specialized in non conventional warfare , performing psychological operations and harassing bigger enemy units , such as Brigades and Divisions . Acting in smalls cells and detachments ( usually no more than 20 men ) , the Special Forces act deep behind enemy lines , and are capable of fighting in extremely unfavorable situations . It is also capable of performing other types of missions , such as counter - terrorism , strategic scouting , finding and attacking high - value targets and stealing , extracting and evading . Due to the extremely high level of danger of those missions , this unit is composed only by a few number of members , which must have concluded the Comandos and Paraquedista ( Commandos and Parachutter ) . They are highly specialyzed and ready to operate anywhere in the world in less than 45 hours , Because of this , they are recognized as one of the most prestigious units in the Brazilian Army Mountain Brigade . It is one of the Brigades Military Area Brazil . Its headquarters is located in Juiz de Fora , Minas Gerais . Its catchment area covers the state of Minas Gerais and Petropolis . It is administered by the 1st Army Division / Eastern Military Command , headquartered in Rio de Janeiro . 4th Mountain Infantry Brigade is a unit of the Brazilian Army , specializing in mountain combat operation , improving and developing special techniques of mountain operations and using equipment and weapons specific to this theater of operations , has established itself over the years as a troop elite army , and even multiplying their special techniques to other Brazilian military units , which will attend their courses and internships , assists the training of the units members of Rapid Action Force Strategic Brazilian Army . During the II World War the infantry mountain Brazilian had major highlight in the conquest of the town of Montese situated in mountainous terrain and heavily defended by the Germans as the last bastion stop the advancing allied troops toward the Po Valley . On April 14 , 1945 , the massive Montese became the scene of the most arduous and bloody battle of Brazilian arms in Italy , in the words of their own Commander Brazilian Expeditionary Force Marechal Mascarenhas de Morais . Having eleven main effort of the attack as fighting in dense minefields and under heavy fire from German machine guns , consecrating forever to heroically conquer Montese . 17th Battalion Border ( Operations Swamp ) . It is an elite unit of the Brazilian Army , specializing in operations swamp . Located in the city of Corumbá , state of Mato Grosso do Sul . Its main missions , ensuring the western border of Brazil , the development and improvement of technical and operational doctrines and special combat specific swampy environment ( present in many places in the world ) and also multiply its technical operations in wetland units members Rapid Action Force Strategic ( RAF ) Brazilian Army . 72nd Motorized Infantry Battalion ( Caatinga / Savanna ) . Is an elite unit of the Brazilian Army based in Petrolina , being the only unit of the Brazilian Army to train the warfighter to the operating environment of Caatinga and Savanna . Has a Center Operations Instruction Caatinga , covering an area of approximately 28 , 000 km ² . The facilities of the Center Operations Instruction Caatinga that property is located in Union , known as the Tank Farm Iron jurisdicionado the Ministry of Defence , going to be called Field Instruction Iron Tank Farm , responsible for the formation of the Combatant Caatinga . The vegetation is aggressive and thorny , the sun is causticaste relief is slightly wavy , often stony soils , and especially with sparse human settlements and a severe shortage of water . Presidential Guard . The Presidential Guard Battalion is a unit of the Brazilian Army and honor guard to the President of Brazil . Two other units , the 1st Guards Cavalry Regiment and the Cayenne Battery , are also part of the presidential honor guard . This troop had its origins in the Emperor ’ s Battalion , organized in 1823 during the peace campaigns that followed the Declaration of Independence and wears its 19th - century uniforms . 1st Guards Cavalry Regiment , this regiment is known as the " Dragões da Independência " ( Dragoons of Independence ) . The name was given in 1927 and refers to the fact that a detachment of dragoons escorted the Prince Royal of Portugal , Pedro VI , at the time when he declared Brazilian independence from Portugal , on September 7 , 1822 . The Independence Dragoons wear 19th century uniforms similar to those of the earlier Imperial Honor Guard . The uniform was designed by Debret , in white and red , with plumed bronze helmets . The colors and pattern were influenced by the Austrian dragoons of the period , as the Brazilian Empress Consort was also an Austrian Archduchess . [ 14 ] The color of the plumes varies according to rank . The Independence Dragoons are armed with lances . The regiment was established in 1808 by the Prince Regent and future king of Portugal , John VI , with the duty of protecting the Portuguese royal family , which had sought refuge in Brazil during the Napoleonic wars . However dragoons had existed in Portugal since at least the early 18th century and , in 1719 , units of this type of cavalry were sent to Brazil , initially to escort shipments of gold and diamonds and to guard the Viceroy who resided in Rio de Janeiro ( 1st Cavalry Regiment – Vice - Roy Guard Squadron ) . Later , they were also sent to the south to serve against the Spanish during frontier clashes . After the proclamation of Brazilian independence , the title of the regiment was changed to that of the Imperial Honor Guard , with the role of protecting the Imperial Family . The Guard was later disbanded by Emperor Pedro II and would be recreated only later in the republican era . At the time of the Republic proclamation in 1889 , horse # 6 of the Imperial Honor Guard was ridden by the officer making the declaration . This is commemorated by the custom under which the horse having this number is used only by the commander of the modern regiment . Equipment . An overview of the Army ' s equipment in 2013 ; In addition the Brazilian Army Aviation Command operates 82 helicopters . Ranks , Uniforms , and Insignia . The senior commissioned rank in the Army is General de Exército , a four stars General . In time of war , or in exceptional circumstances , a fifth star may be worn by the highest - ranking officer in the army , promoted to Marechal , Marshall of the Army . Army officers wear rank insignia on shoulder boards and the army has ten officer grades , excluding officer candidates . Army officer grades from second lieutenant to colonel equate directly with counterparts in the United States Army , but thereafter the systems diverge . A Brazilian General de Brigada wears two stars , with duties equivalent to a US Army Brigadier General , the next higher rank , General de Divisão , equivalent to the Major General , wears three ; their United States counterparts have only one and two stars , respectively . The next higher rank , designated by four stars , is General de Exército . The Marshall wears five stars , but that rank is rarely attained on active duty . There is no rank that corresponds to United States lieutenant general . Brazil ' s army has strict up - or - out retirement rules , which were developed in the mid - 1960s by President Castelo Branco . The internal command structure determines all promotions through the rank of colonel . The president is involved in the promotions to general and chooses one candidate from a list of three names presented to him by the High Command . Once passed over at the Presidential Promotion Board , the non - promotable colonel must retire . All colonels must retire at age fifty - nine and all four - star generals must retire at age sixty - six , or after twelve years as general . Despite the up - or - out system , under President Sarney the army became top - heavy as generals began to occupy many positions that previously had been reserved for colonels . In 1991 there were fifteen four - stars , forty three - stars , and 110 two - stars generals . The figure for four - stars generals did not include four who were Ministers in the Superior Military Court ( Superior Tribunal Militar — STM ) . Thus , in the mid - 1990s the army sought to reduce the number of active - duty generals . The highest Brazilian Army enlisted rank is Sub Tenente , which is the equivalent of the United States Command Sergeant Major and Sergeant Major ranks . The other NCOs are Primeiro Sargento equivalent of the United States First Sergeant and Master Sergeant , Segundo Sargento equivalent to Sergeant First Class and Staff Sergeant , Terceiro Sargento equivalent to Sergeant . Then there is the Cabo Corporal with the same duties as a Sergeant in a regular Army Infantry Platoon , acting as the Squad Leader . There is no equivalent of the US Army Specialist . The Soldado is equivalent to a Private First Class or to a Private depending on the time length within the force .