The Brazilian Navy’s (MB, in Portuguese) Secretariat of the Interministerial Commission for Sea Resources celebrated 40 years in December 2019. Its mission includes promoting the sustainable exploration of living and non-living resources in Antarctica. Brazil is among the countries with a physical presence on the frozen continent. Its base, which [ … ]
Maduro’s Crimes Against Venezuelans Continue
Nicolás Maduro’s corruption and support for violence both inside and outside of Venezuela carries on a year after he subverted the nation’s democracy by assuming an illegitimate second term as president. “Maduro has engaged in activities that have now caused millions of people to have to flee Venezuela,” said U.S. [ … ]
West Virginian and Peruvian Light Wheeled Mechanics Train in Lima
West Virginia Army National Guard (WVARNG) soldiers conducted a second round of light-wheeled vehicle mechanic training with the Peruvian Armed Forces, January 8-17, 2020, in Lima, as a part of the U.S. Department of State’s Global Peace Operations Initiative (GPOI) and the National Guard Bureau’s State Partnership Program (SPP). This [ … ]
Cuba’s Influence over Venezuela Increases Bilateral Relations and Cooperation
The booming bilateral relations between Cuba and Venezuela have raised concerns in the South American country and in the region, due to the influence Havana could exert over Nicolás Maduro, experts say. Hugo Chávez’s rise to power in 1999 meant a qualitative and quantitative leap for Cuban-Venezuelan relations, says expert [ … ]
Brazilian Army Trains First Women Specialized in Aircraft Maintenance
Sara Oliveira de Souza Mendes, Larissa Somera Pereira da Silva, Carla Victória Melo de Farias Freitas Ribeiro, Joyce Carvalho Pereira, and Maria Eduarda Rodrigues Costa Oliveira made history in the Brazilian Army (EB, in Portuguese) as the first five women sergeants specialized in aircraft maintenance. [caption id="attachment_32221" align="alignright" width="259"] (Photo: [ … ]
Fighting for Justice in Authoritarian Regimes
World Social Justice Day encourages people to recognize the importance of basic rights and human freedom. As the world celebrates Social Justice Day on February 20, here’s a look at some of the injustices that authoritarian regimes in China, Iran, and Venezuela inflict on their own people. China The Chinese [ … ]
Brazil Launches New Home in Antarctica
On January 15, 2020, the Brazilian Navy (MB, in Portuguese) inaugurated the new Comandante Ferraz Antarctic Station (EACF, in Portuguese). The structure was built on Keller Peninsula, King George Island, on the site of the previous station that operated until 2012, when a fire in one of the generators destroyed [ … ]
Indigenous Woman Stands Out in the Brazilian Army and Takes On Health Care Role for Indigenous Community
According to January 2020 data, the Brazilian Armed Forces have more than 32,000 women in their ranks. Among them, an officer stands out as the first indigenous woman to wear a military uniform: Second Lieutenant Sílvia Nobre Waiãpi. “I’ve always dreamed of joining the Brazilian Army [EB, in Portuguese],” said [ … ]
Venezuelan Interim President Visits Trump at White House
On February 5, Venezuelan Interim President Juan Guaidó met with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House. In a statement announcing Guaidó’s visit, the White House said, “We will continue to work with our partners in the region to confront the illegitimate dictatorship in Venezuela, and will stand alongside [ … ]
Brazil Maintains Close Information Exchange Ties with Partner Nations
Brazilian Marine Corps Major General Paulo Sergio Castello Branco Tinoco Guimarães, deputy chief of Defense Intelligence, visited U.S. Southern Command the first week of December 2019 to outline the processes for collaboration and experience exchange in the Defense Intelligence sector of both countries. Maj. Gen. Tinoco also visited U.S. Special [ … ]
Russia Sets the Pace in Venezuela
The number of Russian service members in Venezuela is on the rise. Américo De Grazia, a lawmaker in the Venezuelan National Assembly who is in exile in the United States, said in January 2020 that “there is a reserved area at Canaima National Park where Russian and Iranian Hezbollah soldiers [ … ]
Dominican Republic Strengthens Territorial Surveillance
The Dominican Republic strengthened its borders to counter transnational crime, with troops from the Army, Navy, and Air Force joining the Border Fence Task Force (FTCF, in Spanish), an elite group created to bolster security and curb narcotrafficking and smuggling. The unit now has more checkpoints and increased patrols. According [ … ]