The Brazilian Army (EB) hosted the XXXV Conference of American Armies (CAA), in Brasília, capital of Brazil, April 18-20. General Marco Antônio Freire Gomes, EB commander, presided over the event, which had the participation of 22 delegations, with EB Lieutenant General Alcides Valeriano de Faria Júnior as secretary-general. A different member army hosts the CAA every two years. Brazil previously hosted the event in 1968, 1994, and 2006.
“The Brazilian Army celebrates the opportunity to once again meet physically, which was not possible in the last cycle, due to the restrictions brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. In this sense, this high-level debate forum will allow the exchange of ideas and experiences, and with this, we will increase cooperation and integration among the armies, contributing to the security and development of the Western Hemisphere,” Gen. Freire Gomes said.
Created in 1960, the CAA serves as a discussion forum for the exchange of experiences among the armies of the American continent. The CAA also counts on the participation of the Central American Armed Forces Conference and the Inter-American Defense Board as military observer organizations. The Spanish Army participates as a special observer army.
The theme for the 2022/2023 biennium is the CAA’s contribution to the process of transformation and preparation of the Army of the Future. “At the end of this two-year cycle, the contribution that the CAA can give to all the armies of our continent in the transformation process is the preparation of the Army of the Future, so that we can expand our cooperation and our integration in those challenges and those threats that affect us in the security and the stability of our continent. We need to prepare, we need to design the Army of the Future and for this the conference’s contribution is fundamental,” Lt. Gen. Alcides said.
Topics under this theme included transformation processes (Mexican Army), interoperability (U.S. Army), cyber defense (Argentine Army), resource management, security challenges and threats in the 21st century, and new doctrine development, among others
The CAA service members took the opportunity to participate in the ceremony commemorating Brazil’s Army Day on April 19 at the EB Headquarters – Fort Caxias. Army commanders of the Americas received the medal of the Order of Military Merit, EB’s highest decoration.
