Niterói (RJ) – On November 22nd, the closing ceremony of the Special Forces Course (C FEsp) and the Oxigen Dive for Special Operations (EMOX) Internship were held at the Special Operations Training Center (CI Op Esp), the Coronel Gilberto Antônio Azevedo e Silva Training Center, Birthplace of Special Operations, as well as the activities commemorating the Golden Jubilee (50 years) of the Command Action Course (CAC) and the Special Forces Course in 1972, and the Silver Jubilee (25 years) of the Command Action Course (CAC) and the Corporal Command Training Course (CFCC), both in 1997.
To the true heirs (Golden and Silver Jubilees) of Field Master Antônio Dias Cardoso and Captain Francisco Padilha, leaders of the Brasília Wars of the 17th Century, in the Brazilian Northeast, and of the pioneers of the Special Operations Course of 1957, we offer our compliments and thanks for the exceptional services rendered to Special Operations, to the Brazilian Army and to the Homeland, serving as an example and model for the most recent generations.
The Special Forces Course was held from June 12 to November 22 and was completed by 40 military personnel, 24 officers and 16 sergeants, all from the Brazilian Army, the largest number in history.
They are rigorously selected and trained professionals, meticulously prepared to fulfill high-risk missions, which go beyond the capabilities of conventional forces, in singular, joint, multinational and/or interagency operations, with a minimum of direction and support, through covert, clandestine or low visibility actions, in hostile, denied or politically sensitive areas, in targets of high strategic value, in defense of national interests.
The Combat Dive Training Course, on the other hand, took place from October 25th to November 22nd, and was completed by seven military personnel, being four officers and three sergeants, all from the Brazilian Army.
They were able to use the closed-circuit equipment, an extremely useful tool for a safe underwater approach to the objective, ensuring one of the most important principles of Special Operations, to obtain relative superiority, surprise.
The ceremony was presided over by the Chief of Engineering and Construction, Army General Julio Cesar de Arruda, and was attended by the following authorities: Military Commander of the East, Army General André Luis Novaes Miranda; Military Commander of the Amazon, Army General Achilles Furlan Neto; Former Minister President of the Superior Military Court, Army General Raymundo Nonato de Cerqueira Filho; Deputy Head of the Department of Education and Culture of the Army, Division General Maurílio Miranda Netto Ribeiro; Eternal Special Operations Commander, General of Division Mauro Sinott Lopes; Director of Military Technical Education, Brigadier General Flavio Alvarenga Filho; Director of the Army Historical and Cultural Heritage, Brigadier General Luciano Antônio Sibinel; Chief of Staff of the Eastern Military Command, Brigadier General Sergio Borges Medeiros da Silva; Commander of Special Operations, Brigadier General Carlos Alberto Rodrigues Pimentel; Commander of the School Units Group – 9th Motorized Infantry Brigade and eternal Commander of CI Op Esp, Brigadier General Ricardo Luiz da Cunha Rabêlo; Commander of the 4th Mountain Light Infantry Brigade, Brigadier General Julio Cesar Belaguarda Nagy de Oliveira; Commander of the Divisionary Artillery of the 1st Army Division and of the Niterói Garrison, Brigadier General Emerson Alexandre Januário; and Chief of the Operations Coordination Center of the Eastern Military Command, Brigadier General Paulo Edson Santa Barba.
It is also worth mentioning the distinguished presence of the Special Operations pioneer, Colonel Paulo Filgueiras Tavares, Special Operator 02. In addition, several commanders and representatives of military organizations and civilian institutions, active military and veterans of the Armed Forces, as well as many family members and friends of the graduates were also present.
Closing the event, in a very special and vibrant way, was the traditional parade of the Special Operators of all times, followed by the concluders of the C FEsp and EMOX, and troop from the Special Operations Training Center.
Source: Special Operations Training Center *** Translated by the DEFCONPress FYI Team ***