Within the framework of the deployment of units to the northern border, the Brazilian Army concluded last Saturday, the transfer of personnel and armored units to Roraima. This operation, initiated in December 2023, aims to increase the presence of the Brazilian Army in the region, due to the existing dispute between Guyana and Venezuela over the Essequibo.
In total, armored vehicles such as the 4×4 Iveco LMV-BR “Guaicurus”, 6×6 EE-09 Cascavel reconnaissance armored vehicles, and 6×6 Iveco Guarani personnel transport armored vehicles, among other support units, were deployed. The transfer occurred in different stages, including the shipment from Porto Velho to Manaus (Amazonas), in a navigation that took approximately eight days. In addition to the mentioned vehicles, the Brazilian Army highlighted MSS 1.2 AC anti-tank missiles, with the aim of increasing the capabilities of the new unit.
The effort of the so-called Operation Roraima aims at transforming the Mechanized Cavalry Squadron of Boa Vista into the 18th Mechanized Cavalry Regiment. With the new structure, planned for 2025, the new Regiment will have three squadrons and approximately 600 soldiers. The initiative aims to increase by 10% the number of personnel in the Northern Military Command and the Amazon Military Command. In addition to the transfer of assets, the Brazilian Army continues with the planning of the new Regiment’s facilities, which are estimated to be completed by 2025.
It is noteworthy that the creation of this new unit, planned by the Brazilian Army since 2009, began to materialize in the current biennium 2022-2023 within the framework of the Army’s Strategic Plan 2020-2023, a multi-year document that sets the force’s objectives for that period.
*Image credits: Brazilian Army
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