Belém (PA) – The Brazilian Army troops from the Northern Military Command (CMN) who took part in Operation CORE 24 (Combined Operation and Rotation Exercise) returned to Belém on September 4, after a month dedicated to the activities of the combined exercise with the US Army, held in the state of Louisiana, in the United States of America.
The troops were welcomed at Belém Air Base by the Northern Military Commander, Army General José Ricardo Vendramin Nunes, who highlighted the high level of training of the Brazilian troops. “This is a welcome graduation of our people, who trained hard and performed at a high level here in Brazil last year and also on foreign soil. This marks the capacity of the Brazilian soldier, who when challenged to reach standards of excellence and has the means and the right leadership, reaches those parameters that are required for combat,” he said.
The troops representing Brazil were made up of 221 soldiers, 180 of whom were from Pará. They were part of the CORE Subunit, a unit specialized in combat operations, subordinated to the 23rd Jungle Infantry Brigade (23rd Bda Inf Sl), located in Marabá, in the southeast of Pará.
Intense training
To take part in Exercise CORE 24, the soldiers underwent intense training in nine editions of Operation MUNDURUKU, held in Marabá. This preparation began in February 2023, with a series of operational training sessions, psychological counseling and physical training, carried out gradually, and crowned with the Real Shooting Exercise, held in Marabá.
“This exercise demonstrated the competence and value of our soldiers from Pará, who come here from the Amazon, know our region and the activities involved in defending the homeland. This was evident to the Americans, who made several positive comments and praised the leadership, competence and dedication of our soldiers. So, for us, it’s a source of great pride to have a Brazilian troop well represented in the US army,” said the Commander of the 23rd Jungle Infantry Brigade, Brigadier General Eduardo Veiga.
Born in Marabá, Corporal Ailson Ferreira was the highlight of the contingent due to his high level of training. He says that the experience has contributed to his career. “It’s a unique opportunity in the lives of some soldiers. We spent more than two years training for this preparation, which we have now completed in the United States, together with one of the most powerful armies in the world. It was very rewarding to take part, I was able to lead my squad to the best opportunity to fight the enemy, which was our opposing force there.”
History
The fourth edition of Exercise CORE took place from August 5 to September 4 at Fort Johnson, a US Army military base located in Louisiana. The exercise is the result of a cooperation program signed between Brazil and the United States, which stipulates annual bilateral exercises until 2028.
The first edition took place in Brazil, in São Paulo, in 2021, and the second in the US city of Louisiana, in 2022. In 2023, the exercise was held in the states of Pará and Amapá, under the responsibility of the CMN, for the first time in the Eastern Amazon.
Through these exercises, troops from the two countries share experiences and exchange knowledge on defense doctrine, techniques, tactics and procedures, with the aim of increasing interoperability between the armies and developing military land doctrine.