Management encompasses administration, accounting and finance, providing wide-ranging opportunities for Warrant Officers. Its cross-cutting work encompasses various areas of the FAB
Air Force Agency, by Lieutenant Eniele
August 23rd is “Air Force Intelligence Day”. This date commemorates the 78th anniversary of the creation of the Air Force Intelligence Service and the Directorate of Intelligence, which took place on August 23, 1945.
However, the Aeronautics Intendency was born earlier, together with the Ministry of Aeronautics, when then minister Salgado Filho appointed a commission, made up of Naval Intendant Captain Luiz Barreto Alves Ferreira, Army Intendant Major José Epaminondas de Aquino Granja and bachelor Mário de Morais Paiva, to draw up an outline for organizing the Ministry of Aeronautics’ accounting services. This commission represents the genesis of the Air Force Intelligence Department.
From its creation to the present day, the Directorate of Intendance has undergone various restructurings throughout its existence until it reached its current configuration as the Directorate of Aeronautics Administration (DIRAD).
According to the Director of Aeronautics Administration, Major General Marcelo Brasil Carvalho da Fonseca, DIRAD currently goes far beyond the original attributions of the Directorate of Intendance. It has inherited important systems from the latter, such as Personnel Pay, Subsistence, Provisions, Campaign Supplies and Reimbursable Uniforms, and has expanded its systemic activity with the National Residential Property, Surface Transportation and Transit Hotel systems.
In addition, DIRAD was given responsibility for standardizing administrative support for FAB Military Organizations. “Finally, DIRAD also has a total of 24 subordinate Military Organizations, divided into Support Groups, City Halls, the Veterans Reception Base, the Specific Acquisitions Centre, the Pirassununga Aeronautics Farm and the Campaign Logistics Support Group,” explains Major General Fonseca.
Support for logistics and air operations
In the complex scenario of the Brazilian Air Force’s (FAB) logistical and air operations, the role of Intendance emerges as an essential element, unfolding in two fundamental approaches. The first, of an indirect nature, focuses on administrative support activities aimed at sustaining military organizations and personnel, while the second encompasses crucial functions for air operations.
Within the scope of the first scenario, the role of the Intendancy stands out in the areas of asset management, finance, budgeting, subsistence, tenders and contracts. These activities provide invaluable support for the efficient functioning of the Military Organizations of the Air Force Command (COMAER), sustaining the infrastructure without which operations would be unfeasible.
In this context, recent contributions include participation in the Lessônia Project, which resulted in the launch of state-of-the-art imaging satellites from the Kennedy Space Launch Center in Cape Canaveral. Thus, the Intendencia’s performance in logistics functions shows significant progress, both in air operations and in missions in remote locations.
In the sphere of air operations, the focus remains on ensuring that the aircraft can take off safely and effectively. This involves providing flight equipment for the crew, fuel supply and coordinating all the support needed for the operation.
In this sense, we can highlight the active participation of stewardship in making strategic Air Force projects viable. One notable example is the KC-30 – the FAB’s newest transport aircraft, currently operating in the Second Squadron of the Second Transport Group (2nd GT – Corsair Squadron). From the feasibility analysis to the contracting phase, the Intendencia was a critical link, maintaining close collaboration with Internal and External Control Bodies, such as the Federal Court of Auditors (TCU), thus ensuring successful and compliant contracting. In addition, the Intendencia also played a decisive organizational role in the acquisition of missiles for the F-39 Gripen aircraft, demonstrating commitment and effectiveness even in the face of challenging deadlines.
Intendencia’s operational arm
The Intendance’s operational arm is coordinated by the Intendance in Campaign System, so the Campaign Logistics Support Group (GALC) presents itself as the Intendance’s logistical operational link in support of the units deployed in the most diverse types of terrain in the national territory, Its main objective is to provide support for food, hygiene and accommodation, thus seeking to provide maximum comfort and well-being for the troops, which are crucial for achieving the highest level of performance and productivity from the soldiers on mission.
In terms of this scope, there are currently a number of supported missions, among them: CPOR-SJC Campaign Exercise, CAMAR/ CADAR/CAFAR Campaign Exercise, Practical Intendance Course in Campaign (4th Year Cadets), Civic Social Action (ACISO), EPCAR Campaign Exercises (1st, 2nd and 3rd year), LAAD, SEREP-RJ Campaign Exercises, CFS Campaign Exercises, EAGS Campaign Exercises, Recruit Campaign Exercises (GSD-AF), Santos Dumont’s Birthday (MUSAL), Santos Dumont Race (CDA), EXCON Tápio, Practical Campaign Logistics Course (Operators) and EXCON ESCUDO-TÍNIA.
According to the head of the Campaign Logistics Support Group, Lieutenant-Colonel Anderson Damião Moraes Dias, we can highlight the Logistics, Health and Operational Intelligence Employment Campaign Exercise (EXCELSIOR 2023), held in Manaus (AM), which supported an ACISO mission on rafts navigating the Rio Negro (AM), providing health care to the riverside populations of the district of Moura, for three days, and the municipality of Barcelos (AM), for five days. The mission ended on June 18, with a highlight being the logistics for transporting approximately 64 tons of materials.
“The campaign logistics support provided by the GALC, through the UCI, represents the vibrant and operational expression of our Intendencia, always focused on providing excellent support, wherever the FAB is and wherever Brazil needs it! As Head of GALC, I feel honored to be part of such a noble mission, and it is invigorating and rewarding to work alongside a team that is extremely motivated to serve well!” he says.
Training professionals
The Air Force Academy (AFA), located in Pirassununga (SP), has as its mission the training of Air Force, Lieutenant and Infantry Officers, who are instructed to carry out, throughout their careers, the mission of leading and conducting Air Force activities.
In particular, the cadre of Intendencia is dedicated to carrying out all the logistical activities necessary to fulfill the FAB’s institutional mission.
At AFA, the training of these future leaders and managers takes place through the public administration course, together with a strong planning of logistical tasks focused on preparing and supporting eminently military activities.
In this context, theoretical and academic instruction is mixed and complemented with military activities and exercises, such as emergency jumps from aircraft using a military parachute, survival in the jungle and at sea, as well as campaign activities.
According to the Commandant of the AFA Corps of Cadets, Colonel Allan Domingues de Mendonça, it is necessary to mention that moral formation and the ratification of the Institution’s values are aspects that are stimulated, reflected on and strengthened on a daily basis, because ethical formation, based on the Cadets’ Code of Honor – Courage, Loyalty, Honor, Duty and Homeland – is the moral compass that guides the steps of future officers graduating from the Eagles’ Nest.
“In short, the Cadet Intendant will, as a future Officer, be responsible for managing and providing the means for the entire Air Force, with a view to fulfilling our mission of defending the airspace and integrating the national territory, with a view to defending the Homeland. This is the extent of the challenge and responsibility of the men and women who proudly and honorably carry the Acanto on their shoulders,” he explains.
AFA graduate Captain Intendant Ibsan Deyse Santos Silva says that, when carrying out these duties, the most important attitudes are those related to ethical and moral conduct, closely linked to the management of public resources.
“From an early age, the ability to lead and manage teams was fundamental. Leading large numbers of staff in activities that are highly relevant to the Organization’s mission requires the Intendant Officer to have the ability to manage people, balancing the team’s obstacles and potential in order to succeed in the mission,” says the Officer, who also points out that dealing with adverse circumstances has always required analytical thinking and innovation. “Adapting to circumstances, without jeopardizing the rectitude required by the rules and ethical principles, has been an unconditional skill throughout my career,” she concludes.
Peacekeepers in Peace Missions
Military personnel from the Armed Forces, including intendants, can be deployed on various types of missions, as staff officers, military observers, liaison officers, among others, where they can work in various roles, especially in the logistics officer cell (U4/G4), in close collaboration with other military, police and civilian units and agencies in order to contribute to the promotion of peace, the stability of the country and the guarantee of human rights.
According to Lieutenant Colonel Luanda dos Santos Bastos: “These were very enriching operational experiences, where I had the opportunity to put into practice many lessons learned throughout my career, reinforce military values such as patriotism and leadership, learn to work in a multicultural environment with various challenges that I was not used to facing and, above all, get a closer look at how logistical support is used in a real mission. Taking part in Peace Missions made me more interested in the operational side of the Force.”
Praise for the Jambocks
This year, DIRAD took the initiative to evoke the memory of these valiant Warrant Officers by inaugurating the “Preito aos Jambocks” (Prelude to the Jambocks) on its premises, a space designed to pay tribute to the war heroes of the Brazilian Air Force’s Warrant Officer cadre, who dedicated their lives to fighting and supporting combat, driven by the ideal of a free and fairer world. Their sacrifice will never be forgotten.
This tribute has a significance that goes far beyond a mere historical record. The “Prelude to the Jambocks” is a just and necessary tribute to those who, even from the rear, made it possible for the free world to prevail over totalitarianism and for democracy to triumph over tyranny.
The portrait gallery at DIRAD’s “Salute to the Jambocks” features the faces of the six Warrant Officers who were part of the First Fighter Aviation Group during the Second World War. They are:
-Brigadier Lieutenant Ovídio Alves Beraldo;
-Lieutenant Colonel Joaquim Ignácio Lavigne Albernaz;
-Intendant Brigadier Cauby de Paiva Guimarães;
-Second Lieutenant Intendant Alfredo de Amaral Barcellos;
-Intendant Brigadier Major Milton Lemos Camargo; and
-Intendant Colonel Paulo Guizan Gonçalves
Photos: DIRAD; Sergeant Fiqueira and Sergeant P. Silva *** Translated by DEFCONPress FYI team ***