Brasília (DF) – On Tuesday (24), the Higher Defense School (ESD) began the long-awaited International Crisis Exercise, which is part of the curriculum of the Course of High Studies in Defense (CAED). Sixteen senior officers from the Brazilian Army took part. The exercise marks the final stage of the academic calendar.
The International Crisis Exercise consolidates the knowledge acquired throughout the school year, in which topics such as Geopolitics, International Relations, Diplomacy, Security and Defense were covered. In all, around 100 students took part, including military personnel and civilian representatives from various institutions, as well as three foreign guests.
Colonel Alexandre Bleasby, currently serving on the Army General Staff, emphasized the importance of joint work between civilians and the military, making it possible for institutions and bodies from the federal and state public administrations to talk to each other in a crisis management scenario. “Security, development and defense activities are interconnected. And this is an opportunity to expand knowledge. As an Army, we gain institutional maturity when we are able to see what is relevant to the country in situations that are atypical, as addressed in this exercise,” he said.
The activity also saw the participation of the Catholic University of Brasilia, which contributed with professors and students from the International Relations and Social Communication courses. CAED is attended by senior officers from the Armed Forces and civil servants from the Federal High Administration.
The head of the ESD’s Teaching Department, Brigadier General Carlos Henrique Teche, opened the exercise and highlighted the importance of the activity for completing the course. “CAED lasts 40 weeks, requiring dedication and effort. This exercise summarizes everything that has been shared between students and teachers throughout the course,” he said.
International Crisis Exercise
The International Crisis Exercise always addresses a crisis situation between countries, exploring aligned and conflicting geopolitical interests at international level. The aim is to create a simulation close to reality, in which fictitious countries interact in a didactic way in a hypothetical global scenario. The activity’s manager, Sea and War Captain Carlos Radicchi, explained that it is a “multilateral exercise, addressing relations between different countries in the political sphere”.
In addition to the fictitious countries, the groups involved act out simulations of various international organizations, as well as national and international actors, including heads of state, the media and non-governmental organizations. CAED’s International Crisis Exercise is an opportunity for students at the Defense College to hone their decision-making skills in a challenging and complex environment, contributing to a solid and comprehensive education in the field of defense and international security.
Senior Defense Studies Course
This is the 6th edition of the Senior Defense Studies Course. The aim is to develop civilian and military skills in the field of Security, Development and Defense. Based on studies of the Brazilian reality and its surroundings, it prioritizes the interests of the state function of National Defence, providing theoretical and practical tools useful for formulating policies and strategies in the field of Defence in the broadest sense.
The course has an approximate workload of 550 hours, spread over 40 weeks, including Interdisciplinary Field Studies to be carried out in various institutions and companies.
The CAED-2023 class is made up of 104 students, including 54 military personnel from the three Armed Forces, five military personnel from the State Public Security Forces, 42 civilians and three students from Friendly Nations (Argentina, India and Peru). The group comes from 42 institutions and agencies of the federal and state public administrations.
Source: Army Media Center, by Lt. Lauro Moraes