Military Diplomacy
Washington (USA) – From August 21 to 23, authorities from the US Department of Defense and the US Armed Forces hosted a Brazilian delegation at the Pentagon in Washington to discuss collaborations between the two countries in the area of Defense Science, Technology and Logistics. Significant steps were taken to consolidate the partnership between the Army’s Physical Training Research Institute (IPCFEx) and the US Army’s Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR), contributing to the development of scientific studies focused on improving soldiers’ physical and cognitive performance in operational contexts.
The Brazilian delegation was made up of heads, deputy heads and directors of science and technology departments and agencies from the Ministry of Defense and the Single Forces. Veteran Colonel Antônio Fernando Araújo Duarte, Doctrine Advisor at the Army Physical Training Center (CCFEx) represented CCFEx at the activity. The visit took place as part of the IV US-Brazil Seminar on Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, which discussed proposals for the exchange of knowledge and high-level scientific agreements between the two countries for the development of scientific projects in the area of Defense.
As part of the work, Colonel Duarte, senior researcher on the project “Optimization of Brain and Physical Conditioning (B-POC) as a Training Tool to Improve Soldiers’ Resilience to Combat Stress”, made his presentation to the committees. He covered the scientific foundations of the project, as well as the administrative and logistical demands involved.
During the seminar, final adjustments were made to the Project Agreement, which is now ready for signature by the US Department of Defense and the Brazilian Ministry of Defense. “The project has great potential to bring significant advances in the way physical training is thought of and planned, integrating physical and mental work in order to provide soldiers with greater tolerance to combat fatigue and more efficient decision-making processes,” said Colonel Duarte.
It is hoped that, later this year, there will be an exchange of researchers between the IPCFEx and WRAIR teams to fine-tune the final details of the experimental protocol. Laboratory and field work is scheduled to begin in the first months of 2025. This initiative reflects the ongoing commitment of both countries to explore ways in which science can improve the operational performance of warfighters.