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JBSA News
NEWS | May 1, 2017

Conference of American Armies talks interagency operations

By Sgt. Summer Woode U.S. Army South Public Affairs

The best and brightest minds from 14 nations gathered for the Specialized Conference on Interagency Operations April 10-13 in Salvador, Bahia. The event was part of the Conference of American Armies series and hosted by the Brazilian army.

With the conference’s theme being “Interagency Operations and the Border Monitoring System,” the delegates from the countries listened to lessons learned from major events, such as the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Brazil’s representatives briefed working with other members of the intelligence community that included government and non-governmental personnel.

It was an opportunity to hear a different perspective that went beyond the stadium seats, and into the squad cars that patrolled the areas. Brazil’s experience with interagency operations on such a large scale, as the Olympics, proved to be invaluable to the other nations.

“When I go back to Guatemala, I will talk with other authorities, especially security authorities,” said Maj. Gen. Juan Manuel Perez Ramirez, Chief of Defence Staff of the Guatemalan Armed Forces. “I am impressed and admire what Brazil did with the events. It’s important to talk about these experiences and how they carried out their operations.”

The speakers of the conference continued to share their knowledge of security and transitioned into the relevant topic of border monitoring systems and operations. Delegates from Mexico, the U.S. and Brazil gave their insight on how they are keeping their respective borders safe.

With more than 10,000 miles of border, Brazil borders every country in South America, except Chile and Ecuador.

“It’s important to talk about the operations that are carried out in order to protect the borders,” Ramirez said. “Brazil borders 10 countries. If possible, I will talk with the Guatemalan president because we need this kind of knowledge.”

All delegates had the opportunity to share their wisdom during the working group break out sessions. They discussed their particular army’s specialized role and shared their interagency operations experiences.

Topics such as environmental considerations, operational level planning and training were part of these discussions.

The conference closed in a ceremony with all members in attendance signing the discussed agreements.

Division General William Georges Felippe Abrahao, conference president and Deputy Chief of Staff of the Brazilian Army talked about what was gained and what is hoped for in future cycles.

“There’s no situation that one army force can solve the problem alone,” Abrahao said. “We have to work with civilians and other agencies. Interagency operations will be involved in any situation. That’s the greatest lesson learned.”