The Brazilian participation in Justified Accord 2022The Brazilian participation in Justified Accord 2022

Justified Accord is a military exercise focused on the capacity and interoperability of African countries in support of peacekeeping operations under the auspices of the United Nations and the African Union. It seeks to assess the skills of participating countries in conducting peacekeeping operations and to improve bilateral and regional relations between the nations involved.

The exercise also focuses on building partnerships between the U.S. Army in Africa and East African military forces and is designed to increase capacity to respond to regional security threats due to actions of extremist and violent organizations.

Since 2017, Justified Accord has alternated annually as both a field training exercise and a simulation exercise, with the United States Africa Command and the U.S. Army’s Southern European Task Force-Africa conducting the activity. The joint exercise aims to enable the development of future operations, maintain strategic access, and build partners’ capacity to curtail influence, aggression, and actions against the sovereignty of African countries.

In 2018, the activity took place in Uganda, and in 2019, it was hosted in Ethiopia. In these two editions, Justified Accord brought together East African military partners, U.S. military, Western allies, and international organizations in order to conduct joint planning and coordination. Likewise, the exercise has focused on improving the participants’ capacity for peacekeeping operations and human resource preparation, and has been a unique opportunity to employ African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) procedures in times of instability and crisis.

This year, the activity, which took place from February 28th to March 18th, integrated more than 20 countries that gathered in Kenya to exchange information and focus on peacekeeping operations. In total, about 800 people from the U.S., interagency, African Union, and NATO participated in the exercise. Justified Accord 22 was a multi-component, multinational exercise aimed at increasing readiness and supporting lasting peace on the African continent. The fictitious scenario was focused on the prevailing problems in Somalia, a country plagued by a serious political and economic crisis, enhanced by the actions of the Islamist terrorist group Al-Shabaab.

Justified Accord 22 was developed as a multinational field training, command post, and medical training exercise to enhance peacekeeping operations in the region. Through constant cooperation and teamwork, the participating countries carried out a successful exercise, learning and exchanging information for future best practices.

Brazil marked its presence at Justified Accord 22 after receiving an invitation from the US to observe the exercise. The Brazilian participation was an excellent opportunity to exchange experiences with the military that organized the activities, as well as with other observers and members of various nations and organizations.

The country became an extra NATO preferred ally in 2019 . The status allows the purchase of armaments and military technology, as well as the deepening of bilateral cooperation with the US. The measure also facilitated increased collaboration on defense solutions and intensified military exchanges between the two countries. Thus, by accepting the American invitation to participate in the Justified Accord, Brazil strengthens its diplomatic ties with the U.S., contributing to greater interaction between the two nations.

Brazil’s strategic environment includes South America, Antarctica, the South Atlantic, and the countries on the west coast of Africa. Since most of the African countries participating in Justified Accord 22 are part of Brazil’s strategic environment, Brazil’s presence in the exercise was a great opportunity to confirm the defense cooperation ties with those countries. Furthermore, the experience and knowledge acquired in Justified Accord 22 were of great relevance to Brazil, as they allowed it to maintain human resources capable of operating in a multinational environment and in conditions to meet possible demands, with world peace and security as a major objective.

Finally, the international presence of the Institution was expanded, in alignment with the Army Commander’s Directives. In this way, the country has once again confirmed its importance in the concert of nations, contributing to its projection and greater insertion in the global context.

About the author:

Maj Armando Alves de Oliveira Souza – Maj Armando Alves de Oliveira Souza is Bachelor in Military Sciences, Infantry Officer, graduated by AMAN in 2005. He has the following courses: Basic Parachute Course (2007); lato sensu post-graduation in Strategic Management of Human Resources at Castelo Branco University (2009); Jump Master Course (2010); and Officer Improvement Course at EsAO (2015). He was Staff Officer of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) from 2019 to 2020. He is currently an instructor at the Joint Center for Peace Operations in Brazil.

*** Translated by the DEFCONPress Team ***

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