Múcio sees permanent conflict in the world and demands investment in Brazilian Forces

The Minister of Defense, José Múcio, stated this Monday (2) that the Armed Forces are following the escalation of tension in the Middle East following the bombings of Iran by the United States and Israel. In the wake of the discussion about the crisis, he called for an increase in public investment in the military sector as a way of protecting the country in a world in which “everyone is armed” and in which one must “permanently” live with “conflicts”.

“For now it’s just expectations (in relation to the Middle East). I always say that the whole world has armed itself. There is no one unarmed anymore. In a way, this helps to take precautions,” he said. “There is no one else in the world unarmed, so I think we will have to live permanently in this conflict”, he added.

The minister defends that the country invests at least 2% of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in military fortification. Today, this percentage exceeds 1% of GDP, while the world average is 2.4%. Despite demanding the expansion of investments in Defense, Múcio considered that, “with everyone armed, the main weapon became diplomacy”, but that Brazil is currently prepared to face possible crises.

Betting on diplomacy and strengthening multilateralism have been the main strategies of the government of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) at a time of escalating military conflicts, especially in the Latin American region, with the deposition of Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela and the growing threats from the United States of a possible intervention with the aim of changing the regime in Cuba, an island that is facing worsening blockades imposed by the neighboring power.

“Just as it was in Venezuela, or in these countries where we are likely to have problems, we are prepared. Not to attack. The Brazilian Armed Force exists for deterrence. We act to protect our Country. When I say that we need to invest more in defense, it is to protect who we are, what we have, our wealth, which is many. We have Forces much smaller than our needs”, he explained.

“We cannot relegate something very important, which is defense, because of other priorities. It is also a priority and in Brazil it has not been. It needs to be. This government has given it priority”, he added.

Questioned by Estadão If Army intelligence monitors the possibility of new military actions in the region, the Force commander, General Tomás Paiva, stated that the institution “monitors everything very closely”, including the escalation of the war in Iran. Earlier in a speech, the commander said that the “Army permanently acts in defense of sovereignty”.

The defense of national sovereignty became one of the main themes of the Lula government after the tariffs applied by the Donald Trump administration and the sanctions applied by the country to ministers of the Federal Supreme Court (STF).

Women

Múcio and Tomás Paiva’s statements were made at the ceremony for 1,467 women to join the Army (1,010), the Navy (157) and the Air Force (300).

“Today we witness for the first time in the history of this country the presentation of women registered for voluntary military service”, said Múcio. “It’s a victory for Brazilian society, not just for women”, he added.

The minister also highlighted that the Army recently proposed, for the first time in its history, the promotion of a woman to the rank of brigadier general. The nominee was medical colonel Claudia Lima Gusmão Cacho.