With a focus on space and cyber capabilities, the NYNG and, more specifically, the New York Air National Guard (NYANG) and the Brazilian Air Force (FAB) have been conducting technical and operational cooperation exchanges in the space area, at times monitoring space objects with radars from the Barreira do Inferno Launch Center, an FAB rocket launch base, in Natal, and the Alcântara Launch Center, a space port located in northern Brazil, in the state of Maranhão.
The award ceremony was part of the SPP Annual Conference, held April 17-21, and attended by National Guard leaders, bilateral affairs officers, and delegated foreign partners. The partnership between the Brazilian Armed Forces and the NYNG includes joint participation in exchanges, military exercises, and training, and courses aimed at increasing interoperability to address complex global challenges, counter threats, and maintain regional security and stability.
Since the beginning of the partnership, Brazil has hosted New York soldiers and airmen at its world-famous jungle warfare school in Amazonas. The Brazilians came to New York to learn about domestic response missions and exchange experiences. A particularly important part of the partnership was the exchange between the NYANG and Brazilian experts in cyber and space operations.
Among the activities carried out in 2022, 100 NYANG airmen participated in Operation Tápio, one of the largest FAB-promoted warfare training in Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, August 8-31. During Tápio, a joint exercise scenario was set up for both forces, involving the simulation of an irregular war against a paramilitary force. U.S. and Brazilian military personnel conducted combat search and rescue and air support operations, as well as aerial refueling of aircraft. The NYANG also participated in the same exercise in 2021, simulating war scenarios, including helicopter infiltration and disengagement, rope rescues, separate survivor scenarios, and an urban operation with vehicle disengagement and mass casualty event.
For FAB Major General Luciano Valentim Rechiuti, head of the Technical Sub-department of Brazil’s Department of Aerospace Science and Technology (DCTA), who received the award in New York, the recognition of Brazil and the FAB is a source of pride.
“We contemplate the opportunity to employ more efforts in the space dimension, to build and consolidate space capabilities in the country, […] and solidifying the Brazilian Space Program. As such, Brazil will be able to take its place among spacefairing nations in the near future,” Maj. Gen. Luciano said.
During the annual SPP Conference, the FAB delegation participated in several side meetings regarding space partnerships with organizations and entities from the United States and partner nations, including U.S. Space Command, U.S. Space Force, and the European Space Agency’s International Affairs Secretariat, among others.
“The learning we received during the symposium shows us that we are moving in the right direction and that investments in education, capacity building, and training will be fundamental for building Brazil’s space capabilities,” Maj. Gen. Luciano said.
For FAB, in addition to the award recognition, the meetings opened opportunities for its participation in international exercises and operations related to the space domain, as well as strengthening the Brazilian position for the safe exploration of outer space.
