The training took place, from September 12 to 23, at the headquarters of the Aerospace Operations Command (COMAE), in Brasilia (DF), and at the Airspace Control Institute (ICEA), in São José dos Campos (SP)
Air Force Agency, by Lieutenant Johny Lucas
The Commander of the Brazilian Air Force (FAB), Air Lieutenant Brigadier Carlos de Almeida Baptista Junior, visited last Wednesday (09/21) the facilities of the COMAEX Exercise, which took place in Brasilia (DF), between September 12 and 23. The activity is managed, annually, by the Aerospace Operations Command (COMAE), which has as Commander and responsible for the Exercise the Air Lieutenant Brigadier Heraldo Luiz Rodrigues. The objective of the activity is to train military personnel for planning and conducting Aerospace Operations.
The visit was attended by the Chief of Joint Operations of the Joint Staff of the Armed Forces, Army General José Eduardo Pereira; the Chief of Education and Culture of the Joint Staff of the Armed Forces, Air Lieutenant Brigadier Luiz Roberto do Carmo Lourenço; the Commander of COMAE, Lieutenant Brigadier Heraldo; the Secretary of Personnel, Education, Health and Sports of the Ministry of Defense, Air Lieutenant Brigadier Jeferson Domingues de Freitas; of the Director-General of the Operational and Management Center of the Amazon Protection System (CENSIPAM), Rafael Pinto Costa; of the Commander of the Sixth Regional Air Command (VI COMAR), Air Major Brigadier Jefferson Cesar Darolt, and of other General Officers of the Brazilian Navy, the Brazilian Army and the Brazilian Air Force, as well as directors of CENSIPAM.
During the activity, the Chief of the Joint Staff of the COMAE, Air Major Brigadier Alcides Teixeira Barbacovi, highlighted that the training met FAB’s expectations. “This training makes our military personnel, who are in their most diverse Units, come here and internalize it within the operational exercise. Here they are trained to, together with the Brazilian Navy and the Brazilian Army, guarantee sovereignty and prevent an invasion, in order to defend our country,” he said.
The Chief of the Joint Center for Aerospace Operations (CCOA), Air Brigadier Francisco Bento Antunes Neto, emphasized the importance of the COMAEX Exercise for the Air Force. “The exercise is important because it prepares the personnel to act in the different divisions in the Aerospace Operations Centers. This year, new military personnel had the opportunity to train, along with those who have already participated in other editions. We were all able to improve our performance, making the process of conducting aerospace operations more effective,” he explained.
This year’s edition had the participation of Officers and Graduates, as pointed out by the Operational Manager of the Exercise, Air Force Colonel Gabriel Camargo Brandão. “The FAB is modernizing every day, and it is essential that we bring these new vectors to the battlefield and that we verify, at the tip of the spear, if these means are effective. This year the exercise incorporated graduates, as well as instructors and observers from the Brazilian Navy and the Brazilian Army,” he emphasized.
On-Screen Simulation
Besides the 111 military personnel who worked in Brasilia, other 63 Air Force members were involved in the exercise, working at the Airspace Control Institute (ICEA), in São José dos Campos (SP). The Unit, subordinated to the Department of Aerospace Science and Technology (DCTA), is responsible for assembling, in a software program, the missions planned by the Air Force Component (FAC).
Signing of a cooperation term
Also during the visit, in the COMAE’s Noble Room, a work plan for the operation and maintenance of the Formosa (GO) and Manaus (AM) multisatellite antennas was signed between the COMAE and CENSIPAM. The CENSIPAM antennas, besides being part of the LESSONIA project, within the Strategic Program for Space Systems (PESE), may, in the future, be part of other Defense satellite constellations.
Photos: Suboficial Nery / CECOMSAER *** Translated by the DEFCONPress FYI Team ***