Women can now occupy all operational positions in the Brazilian Navy
By First Lieutenant (RM2-T) Daniela Meireles – Brasília, DF
The rearguard was the place reserved for them in national defense until recently. When the oldest of the three Arms, in a pioneering decision, created the Women’s Auxiliary Reserve Corps in 1981, women’s participation was restricted to technical and administrative activities. This year, however, with the possibility of their enlistment in all corps and cadres of the Brazilian Navy (MB), female soldiers can now be seen on the front line of naval warfare, side by side with the men.
Last year, the MB welcomed the first female students from the Naval College, its high school, and graduated its first career sailors. A year earlier, the Naval School graduated the first female officers of the Navy and Marine Corps, who will soon be in command of ships and amphibious troops. As of June this year, Brazil’s defense will be bolstered by the first female Marine Soldiers, the only career in the Navy that has yet to include women in its ranks.
By opening all its access doors to women, the MB intends to increase the number of women in its ranks from the current 11.7% to 27% by 2030. This target, set by Navy Commander Ordinance 244/2020, exceeds the numbers of military powers such as the United States, which by 2021 had 20.5% women in the Navy and 9.1% in the Marine Corps (separate forces in that country), according to a report by the US Department of Defense.
All over again on the “front”
Despite the long way to go, the Naval Force has been speeding up the pace in this direction. In recent years, women have been trained by schools and instruction centers to take on a new role in the naval theater of war, performing operative functions on board ships, aircraft and amphibious vehicles (which move both at sea and on land), something hitherto unheard of for an MB servicewoman.
This is the case of Second Lieutenant Débora Corrêa, who is part of the first group of women to graduate as Officers of the Armed Forces from the Naval School, the Navy’s higher education institution. “Being in the military was a childhood dream. I always admired the attitude and dedication of the military and saw the career as a way of contributing to society,” she recalls, who managed to turn her wish into reality last year after four years of study.
“In the Institution, I had the opportunity to understand the real meaning of attributes such as discipline, loyalty and cooperation,” says Second Lieutenant Débora, for whom this experience means a paradigm shift in the Armed Forces. “This represents equal opportunities and ratifies confidence in women’s potential for tasks that were previously predominantly male. It’s extremely gratifying to be able to be part of this story,” she says proudly.
This pioneering journey is gaining new chapters. In December last year, the first female career sailors, graduates of the Santa Catarina School of Apprentice Seamen (EAMSC), were assigned to serve on MB ships. Among them was Kelly Victória Gomes de Oliveira, who was assigned to the Multipurpose Aerodrome Ship “Atlântico”, the flagship of the Brazilian Fleet, where she already had the opportunity to take part in Operation “Aspirantex” in January.
“It’s challenging every day, but it’s an incredible experience and a great responsibility to be an example for the next women. We didn’t expect to occupy this space and today we see that we can. I believe that everyone around us also sees this,” says Marinheira. She, who inspires other young women to follow the same profession, also had someone to look up to. From that group of trailblazers, who joined the MB in 1981, three soldiers reached the generalate.
In 2012, Rear Admiral Dalva Maria Carvalho Mendes was the country’s first female General Officer. In her wake came Rear Admiral of the Corps of Naval Engineers Luciana Mascarenhas da Costa Marroni, in 2018, and Rear Admiral (Md) Maria Cecilia Barbosa da Silva Conceição, promoted in 2023. Other names, from the most diverse corps and cadres, are expected to expand this list in the coming years.
“Women are demonstrating their ability, showing what they’ve come for, that they can’t just be supporting players, that they have to be protagonists in this story. And by showing this participation, showing this competence, they have climbed to other levels, other careers, and made it possible for them to join in other ways too, including in operational environments,” said Admiral Maria Cecilia Conceição in an interview with the Correio Braziliense newspaper on the occasion of her promotion.
From the saxophone to the rifle
The Apprentice Marines also had someone to look up to. Débora Ferreira de Freitas Sabino, a lieutenant captain in the Marine Assist Corps (AFN), was the first military woman to complete the Amphibious Warfare Specialization Course in 2016, making her qualified to command infantry platoons. “Being the first woman in a predominantly male and operative course taught me to overcome challenges, to adapt to any environment,” she recalls.
Débora Sabino joined the Navy in 2004 as a musician sergeant, the only way for women to join the Marine Corps (CFN) at that time. But her journey had even higher expectations: she was the CFN’s first female officer and was part of the 25th Contingent of the Marine Operational Group in the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH).
She believes that this movement of women to the front line is helping to dispel a stereotyped view, commonly associated with physical fragility and a maternal vocation. “I’m very proud to have helped open up this path. I would stress that you need a lot of discipline and to be aware that if you do your best, you will achieve all your goals,” she advises the future Marine Soldiers.
In war or peace
The presence of women in the Armed Forces has been driven not only by the demands of national defense, but also by international peace missions. The United Nations Security Council has encouraged its member states to increase the use of female soldiers in operations such as the one in which Lieutenant Débora Sabino took part in Haiti between 2016 and 2017. Resolution 1325, approved by the Council in 2000, gave the issue even more visibility.
That normative act recognized that women suffer differently from the impacts of war and reinforced the need for them to participate in decisions for the peaceful resolution of armed conflicts. In 2009, a new Council Resolution recommended that member countries draw up National Action Plans (NAPs) or other domestic measures to promote the implementation of Resolution 1325/2020.
Global trend
According to the Gender Integration Advisor at the Inter-American Defense Board (IADB), Technical Staff Lieutenant Commander (T) Taryn Machado Senez, some 107 countries have already launched their respective NAPs, including Brazil, whose document is currently being revised. “Drawing up National Action Plans has been an important step for many countries in incorporating women into the Armed Forces, reflecting a real commitment to gender equality, efficiency and operational effectiveness,” she explains.
The Commander warns, however, of regional differences, which imply limitations for the implementation of the NAPs. “While some countries have a long history of including women in the Armed Forces, others are in the early stages of this process. Progress varies significantly between countries and depends on various factors, such as political will, institutional culture and available resources,” she explains.
Currently, Taryn Senez is dedicated to advising the member states of the Organization of American States on the development of their respective NAPs and investigating the impact of these guidelines on the incorporation of women into the continent’s navies. “This survey is one of my missions here. We are at the beginning of the research, so that we have a parameter of the progress of these policies in our member states,” he said.
Source: Agência Marinha de Notícias *** Translated by DEFCONPress FYI Team ***