Campaign, logistics, health and operational intelligence exercise to be held in June
Air Force Agency – CECOMSAER and GAP-BE
A technical team made up of military personnel from various Military Organizations of the Brazilian Air Force (FAB) carried out a precursor mission in the municipalities of Santarém, Monte Alegre, Almerim and Breves, all in the state of Pará, in order to collect the information needed to plan the Campaign and Logistics, Health and Operational Intendence Exercise (EXCELSIOR 2024), which will take place between 07 and 19/06, and will provide the population with a series of specialized health services. The mission took place between April 9 and 11 and was fundamental for sizing up the logistics needed for the mission to be a success.
The riverside communities will receive care on ferries from the Amazon Region Airports Commission (COMARA), where the structure of the FAB’s Field Hospital (HCAMP) will be set up, with the employment of approximately 100 military personnel prepared to attend to around 1,000 people a day.
The Commander of the First Regional Air Command (I COMAR) and Commander of EXCELSIOR 2024, Major General José Virgílio Guedes de Avellar, commented on his expectations. “We’re going to leave from Porto Brucutu (PA), in COMARA, because it offers the necessary infrastructure for our ferries. As well as providing medical assistance to the riverside populations, our team will also be trained in security, defence and operational intelligence, with the possibility of exchanging experiences with other organizations in the health field,” he said.
A major difference this year will be the presence of teams from the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (FIOCRUZ) and the non-governmental organization Voluntários do Sertão, who will be in charge of carrying out research into cervical cancer, one of the most common cancers in the North, according to a regional analysis by the National Cancer Institute.
Planning
Preparations for the mission began on April 2. In the first planning phase, the technical team met at I COMAR to discuss the guidelines and actions to be implemented over the next few days. On that occasion, Major Brigadier Avellar stressed the importance of the exercise for national integration. COMARA then paid an inspection visit to the facilities at Porto Brucutu, in Belém (PA), the starting point for the operational activities.
The Director of the Belém Aeronautics Hospital (HABE), Medical Colonel Ladjane Dantas Bandeira, spoke about the news. “We are organizing ourselves to implement, for the first time, mechanisms for transmitting x-ray images in real time to the teams based in Belém (PA), Manaus (AM), and other locations, depending on the structure to be set up,” she said.
The Commander of the Mobile Support Echelon (EMA), Major Rafael Freitas de Lima, believes that EXCELSIOR is a training program that resembles war logistics, given the complexity of the actions, and also allows the population to receive dignified health care.
For Medical Captain Fabio de Queirós Teixeira, who will be working at the Field Hospital, the close contact with the Health Secretariats has proved essential for sizing up the professionals and contributing to the logistics of the rafts.
EXCELSIOR
EXCELSIOR is an action of the Air Force Command (COMAER) of an ostensive nature, mobilized to provide specialized health care to communities that are difficult to access, through Civic-Social Action (ACISO). In 2023, the riverside communities of Barcelos and the district of Moura, in the state of Amazonas, were covered.
The exercise was made possible thanks to the joint efforts of the Support Detachment for the Amazon Region Airport Commission (DACO-MN), the Campaign Logistics Support Group (GALC), the Air Force Field Hospital (HCAMP), the Mobile Support Echelon (EMA), the Manaus Security and Defense Group (GSD-MN) and the Intendance Cellular Unit (UCI).
Photos: GAP-BE / Sergeant Figueira / CECOMSAER *** Translated by DEFCONPress FYI Team ***