Rio de Janeiro (RJ) – In October, the student captains of the Officers’ Training School (ESAO) carried out the Wide Spectrum Operations Integrating Exercise in the city of Ponta Grossa-PR, with the support of the 5th Armored Cavalry Brigade. The exercise consolidated the knowledge acquired during the Officers’ Training Course.
Broad Spectrum Operations emphasize the role of the Ground Force in achieving decisive results through a combination of offensive and defensive operations, as well as cooperation and coordination with government agencies, requiring a high degree of initiative and leadership and enhancing the synergy between the Infantry, Cavalry, Artillery, Engineering, Logistics, Communications and Health Service.
The activity marks the participation of the entire student body of the 2023 Officers’ Training Course, made up of 439 student captains from the Brazilian Army, five marine officers from the Brazilian Navy and 15 officers from friendly nations.
The exercise helped the newly trained captains to be able to perform the duties of battalion, regiment or group commander, as well as being part of the General Staff of a military organization at Unit level.
Seventeen students from the State University of Ponta Grossa and UNICESUMAR, in the final years of their Social Communication and Journalism courses, took part in the field exercise. The university students had the opportunity to learn about the mission of the Brazilian Army in the field of National Defense and its integration with society, as well as touring the facilities of the 3rd Combat Car Regiment and the 13th Armored Infantry Battalion. As well as training future communicators to cover real military operations, the action aims to strengthen links between the Army and opinion-forming professionals.
The school’s commander, Brigadier General Fabiano, pointed out that “in terms of operational use, the exercise crowns the school’s academic year, integrating all combat functions into tactical planning, both for offensive and defensive operations. In addition, it allowed for closer ties between EsAO and local universities, as the university students were able to follow the activities carried out on the ground, getting closer to the functions of correspondents in a conflict area. They were also able to interview the student captains from the Training Course about the maneuver,” said the general.
The activity concluded with an after-action analysis, held in the UNICESUMAR auditorium, in which students and instructors explained the lessons learned and listed opportunities for improvement for future classes of the Officers’ Training Course.
Source: Officer Training School