Dourados (MS) – The Brazilian Army participated in Operation Ágata Guaicurus I 2023, an inspection and repression action against cross-border and environmental crimes on the Brazilian western border. The initiative included troops from units subordinated to the Army’s 4th Mechanized Cavalry Brigade and the participation of security and inspection agencies, such as the Federal Police, the Federal Highway Police, the Military Police of Mato do Grosso do Sul, the Department of Border Operations, and the Internal Revenue Service, among others.
Created in 2011, Operation Agate is an action to combat cross-border crimes carried out in partnership with federal, state or municipal public security and inspection agencies. The first part of Operation 2023 was conducted in more than 30 municipalities located in the western border strip and within the area of responsibility of the 4th Mechanized Cavalry Brigade. Throughout the action, roadblocking and control posts, monitoring of regions of interest for intelligence, border reconnaissance, and mechanized patrols were carried out. At the Ponta Porã (MS) airport, passenger luggage was checked, with the use of sniffer dogs to support the actions of the Federal Police.
For the action to be successful, equipment connected to the Army’s Strategic Projects was used. From the Integrated Border Monitoring System, SISFRON, 144 materials were used, including vehicles and several communication technologies. Guarani armored vehicles were also used, which are part of the Armored Forces Project, and materials from the Brazilian Combatant Program, such as weapons, helmets, vests, and communication materials.
The Commander of the 4th Brigade, Brigadier General Marcello Yoshida highlighted the importance of the application of the means of the Strategic Programs in the Operation. “SISFRON is very important for the employment of our Brigade, because it allows instant situational awareness. This way we can make very timely decisions. With the employment of the Guarani vehicles and the means provided by the Cobra Project, we closed the SISFRON cycle, which provides sensing, decision support, and action in the situations that have been raised.
SISFRON
Created by the Army in 2008, the Integrated Border Monitoring System (SISFRON) is a sensing and decision support system that supports operational employment. Its main objective is to strengthen the presence and capacity of the State to monitor and act in the land border area, strengthening the actions of governmental entities with responsibilities in the area. The operations in which SISFRON is employed can be isolated, in conjunction with the other Armed Forces or, still, in an interagency environment, with other governmental agencies. The objective of the Brazilian Army is to deploy the means of SISFRON along the 16,886 kilometers of the Brazilian border line, monitoring a strip 150 km wide along this line.
Armored Forces
The Armored Forces sub-program aims to obtain updated systems and materials for military use that meet the operational needs of the armored forces of the Brazilian Army, such as armored vehicles for combat, reconnaissance, personnel transport and special vehicles, equipped with weapons, command and control systems and special equipment, delivering capabilities such as shock action, firepower, armored protection, situational awareness and mobility.
Brazilian Combatant Project
Developed by the Brazilian Army, the Brazilian Combatant Project (COBRA – Combatente Brasileiro), the soldier of the future, is an initiative to modernize military materials that seeks to address three fundamental needs of the modern combatant: lethality, command and control, and survival. The project includes the improvement of armaments, uniforms, and communications and electronic equipment.
Source: Army Social Communication Center and 4th Mechanized Cavalry Brigade