Women now have the opportunity to enter all areas of the Navy
By Lieutenant-Captain (RM2-T) Rafaela Tayão and First-Lieutenant (RM2-T) Tássia Navarro – Brasília, DF
Another historic moment is taking place in the Navy and in Brazil: 12 women candidates, approved in the Naval Academy competition, are now, for the first time, entering the institution, and are going through the adaptation period that lasts until February 12. The Naval Academy exam took place in 2022 and gathered, overall, more than 13 thousand applicants. This year’s milestone is followed by the entry of the first female career sailors and the opportunity for women to enter as a Marine soldier.
According to the Commandant of the Naval College, Sea and War Captain Leonardo Araujo Poppius, the entry of the first female students into the Naval College was carefully planned during the year 2022. “Some works and services were carried out to adapt our facilities and receive the class of students, such as: creation of a female accommodation; installation of security cameras around this accommodation; adaptation of the traditional traffic circles of the inner courtyard to create female bathrooms; adaptation of the infirmary, with the creation of two beds exclusively for women, among other things,” he explains.
“It is a professional and personal pride to be at the head of the class of these pioneers who are helping to write another important chapter in the history of the Brazilian Navy.
The female sailor is increasingly consolidating her participation in several areas, contributing to the fulfillment of the most varied tasks of our Force, with efficiency and effectiveness, corroborating the right decision to include women in our Navy, because they are examples of determination, professionalism, and efficiency in the performance of their tasks”, she highlights.
Isabella Marques Pereira, approved in 5th place, says she has been studying for military competitions for some time. When she learned that there would be vacancies for women in the Naval Academy, she focused on her studies to achieve her dream and counted on the support of friends and family, especially her parents, Adriana Marques and Gilson Santos, Sub-officer of the Navy Reserve.
“It feels like I am living a dream. When the dream comes true, I realize that it is an honor to be part of all this, a great pride for me and for my family. I hope it will be something that will add to the Force. The girls are coming to add value, it will be a very special moment for all of us,” says Isabella.
Another candidate who also performed last Sunday, 29th, was Sophia Ferreira de Salles, approved in 8th place. She says that she has always considered the military for her life, because her parents and other family members are members of the Armed Forces. And among the other sister Forces, the Navy was the one she chose.
“I got to know the Naval Academy because I have military parents and family members, and I have always loved the Navy. When I started taking courses, women were not allowed to enter, but I always had a hope that it would be open to them, because there were many rumors about it. In the beginning of 2022, the news came and I took the contest,” says Sophia.
The feeling of victory after all the stages were over and finally the final result was announced is remembered by her mother, Bianca Ferreira de Salles. “I was working, it was a very busy day, she didn’t want to give me the news by WhatsApp and I was the first to know that she had passed. She held on and waited to give me the news so we could enjoy this together, because although the whole family has given us support, it is a struggle just ours,” she recalls.
Another milestone of 2023 is the participation of women in the operational sector of the institution, which began with the admission of 48 women in the Marine Apprentice Schools, on January 16, 2023. In addition, the Force began to receive in its Military Organizations the first six women members of the Navy and Marine Corps who graduated from the Naval School. And, recently, the opening of a call for tenders with 96 vacancies for female Marines in 2023 to make up the class in 2024. In all, 162 women will be where, before, there were only men.
Source: Marine News Agency*** Translated by the DEFCONPress FYI Team ***