Capabilities in Riverine, Peace and Interagency Operations are strengthened in FurnasCapabilities in Riverine, Peace and Interagency Operations are strengthened in Furnas

Training of the Fleet Marine Force was concluded on Tuesday (23), in southern Minas Gerais

This Tuesday (23rd), the training of the Fleet Marine Corps Force, which includes more than 1500 military personnel, was concluded. In May, two Operational Demonstrations (DemOp) took place in the south of Minas Gerais (MG), with the purpose of exemplifying the capabilities and means employed in Operation Furnas 2023. It was possible to see up close the training of the Fleet Marine Force (FFE) units integrated to the air and sea resources of the Brazilian Navy (MB) in Riverine, Peacekeeping, and Interagency Operations with the participation of other state and municipal agencies.

The MB is present and carries out actions by sea, rivers, lakes and inland waters throughout the country. Therefore, the “Mar de Minas” was a strategic choice, as stated by Fleet Admiral Wladmilson Borges de Aguiar, Commander of Naval Operations. “We have been operating at sea for a long time, in the Pantanal and Amazon environments, and we needed more training in lakes and inland waters. If one day, for example, a city near the Furnas lake has a problem similar to the one that occurred in São Sebastião (SP), where roads and highways were blocked, we will be able to arrive by means of the lake and provide the necessary support.

The Furnas lake region offers a suitable environment for the integration of sea, land and air spaces, favoring the use of naval, naval aviation and Marine resources in operational exercises. In addition, this multidomain characteristic contributes to the carrying out of a wide range of activities, from Naval Warfare actions, such as Riverine Operations, to activities of limited use of force, such as Peace Operations, to benign activities, such as Support to Civil Defense.

The first day of demonstrations began at the Expeditionary Air Base (BAE), the former Furnas airport, which was reactivated in 2023 and now has a Marine detachment. In the region known as “Prainha”, activities related to Riverine Operations and to the deployment of a Marine Peacekeeping and Rapid Reaction Force Operational Group took place. The MB has segments inserted in the Peacekeeping Capabilities System of the United Nations (UN), in which stands out the QRF Company (Quick Reaction Force) that started the demonstration. 

Simulated events demonstrated a humanitarian aid of water distribution, through an engagement team, which has the task of interacting with the population through observation, engagement, and reporting. In sequence, the actions of the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Platoon were demonstrated, as well as an attack by suspicious forces, which was neutralized by the QRF Company. This Group received, in 2022, the unprecedented level three in the UN peacekeeping capabilities readiness system.

About the UN certification, Fleet Admiral (Marine) Carlos Chagas Vianna Braga, General Commander of the Marine Corps, remembers that when one reaches the maximum level of preparedness, it is necessary to maintain this level, which is why this exercise brings a very important aspect: “Currently, in several African countries, the main demand has been for riverine operations capabilities. The moment we condense a QRF exercise in an environment like this, we have a very big quality gain, thus being always ready,” he reinforces.

The event was open to the public and was attended by several schools in the region, as well as by a press conference. The student Maria Eduarda, 17, a resident of Furnas, says it was the first time she went to an event like this. “What caught my attention the most were the aircraft and the simulation of refugees and their needs, and what would be the military’s action in these situations.”

In the second stage of the demonstration, there were reconnaissance actions, which featured Remotely Piloted Aircraft and teams of Amphibious Commandos from the Marine Special Operations Battalion. As well as the presence of the AF-1 Skyhawk aircraft, from the Air Force’s First Interceptor and Attack Aircraft Squadron, with the purpose of bombing enemy positions. The action was concluded with the projection of forces on the riverbanks, with the support of the Amphibious Caterpillar Cars (CLAnf), and the action of the Nuclear, Biological, Chemical and Radiological Reconnaissance Group (NBQR Defense).

Interagency Operations

On the 16th, it was time to observe demonstrations of Interagency Operations, which are the interactions of the Armed Forces with other agencies, with the purpose of conciliating interests and coordinating efforts. According to Vice-Admiral (Marine) Renato Rangel Ferreira, Commander of the Fleet Marine Force, “the military has been increasingly demanded for this type of operation, which takes place when efforts are combined and the capabilities of each available actor in the region complement each other, so that a synergy can be created to obtain the best result. 

The Commander of the FFE emphasizes that one of the great gains of the Operation was to participate in an exercise of multiple victims, in coordination with the Santa Casa de Misericórdia of Passos (MG), in which it was possible to learn from the State of Minas Gerais how to receive, triage and treat patients in this type of situation.

The interaction with the Navy was also important for Santa Casa, as the institution’s director, physician José Ronaldo Alves, recalls: “We are a reference hospital for the cities in the region that receive many tourists and events. In view of this, this interaction with the Navy is very important because, in a difficult situation, the more people engaged in solving the problem, the better the results will be. Still in the health area, in one of the several bases set up, the possibilities of the Advanced Trauma Unit (UAT) were demonstrated, monitored by the Navy’s Expeditionary Medical Unit.

Finalizing the demonstrations, the Furnas plant received the Special Takeover and Rescue Group (GERR), which is part of the Marine Special Operations Battalion, which simulated the retaking of the plant itself and the rescue of the hostages under confinement, after all negotiations, on the part of other responsible agencies, had ceased and the crisis had escalated.

All the military and their capabilities seen during DemOp are prepared to be mobilized within twelve hours, with all the necessary weapons, ammunition, and rations to move to any region of the country. This is one of the most important capabilities for the Marine Corps, called ready employment. Vice Admiral Renato emphasizes that the Marines can act in a broad spectrum of activities, ranging from benign activities to limited use of force and, especially, in naval warfare actions and operations. As for the latter, not by chance, preparation and employment with a focus on homeland defense is the Navy’s raison d’être.”

Source: Agência Marinha de Notícias

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