Brazil will preside over the 15th Conference of the Defense Minister of the Americas (CDMA), represented by 34 countries from the Americas and the Caribbean, for the 2021/2022 biennium.
Brazilian Army General César Augusto Nardi de Souza, head of Strategic Affairs of the Brazilian Ministry of Defense (MD, in Portuguese), assumed the role of general secretary of the 15th CDMA, and Brazilian Navy Rear Admiral Carlos Augusto Chaves Leal Silva, deputy chief of the MD’s International Organizations, was appointed executive secretary.
The CDMA promotes mutual knowledge, analysis, debate and exchange of ideas and experiences in the areas of defense, security, and integration. Brazil has been participating in the conferences and its respective activities since the first CDMA, in 1995, in the United States.
Gen. Nardi told Diálogo that leading the CDMA is challenging and important for the country, since the conference is the Americas’ main defense and security forum. “To preside over this forum is to be able to contribute with greater efforts to foster the exchange of experiences and consequently, to promote greater cooperation and trust between member countries, increasing our participation in efforts toward integration, dialogue, cooperation, support, and security in the Americas,” he said.
According to the officer, the country that presides over the CDMA is responsible for preparing the thematic agenda, which must include topics of common interest in the defense and security fields. “The 2021/2022 cycle, regarding the 15th CDMA, will continue its ongoing activities, in addition to initiating collaborative work in the cyber defense and cyberspace fields. This new topic is among the most important to explore,” said Gen. Nardi.
In 2021, negotiations for the implementation of the Disaster Relief and Humanitarian Assistance Operations Protocol will continue via a working group. In addition, Brazil will coordinate activities for the working groups on “Woman, Peace, and Security,” and “Cyber Defense and Cyberspace.”