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Military transformation underway redefines structure, prioritizes drones, expands readiness, and reorganizes strategic brigades in the face of modern threats and increasingly technological and integrated multi-domain conflicts across different operational environments.
The Brazilian Army has defined a comprehensive transformation policy to adapt its structure, doctrine, and military training to the contemporary warfare scenario.
Increasingly marked by drones, advanced sensors, precision weapons, and simultaneous operations in multiple strategic environments.
The change was formalized in the Brazilian Army Transformation Policy, officially published in the Army Bulletin and led by the Force’s General Staff, after detailed internal assessments pointed out significant limitations in facing current conflicts and threats projected for the coming decades.
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The document states that recent conflicts have made the battlefield more transparent and significantly more lethal, due to the combination of unmanned systems, precision fires, and surveillance networks capable of drastically reducing the time between detection and attack.
Military readiness and strategic brigades
The new organization foresees that, at a minimum, 20% of the personnel of the employment forces will remain in a high degree of readiness and resilience, ensuring a consistent rapid response capability in the face of potential threats or crises already established in different regions of the national territory.
According to the established policy, studies compared Brazil to countries in similar situations on the international stage and identified that this level of readiness is adopted as a reference to ensure immediate reaction in scenarios of greater geopolitical and strategic instability.
Five of the Army’s 25 brigades will form the core of highest operational readiness, including the Paratrooper Brigade in Rio de Janeiro, in addition to the 12th Airmobile Brigade, the 11th Mechanized Brigade, the 23rd Jungle Brigade, and the 5th Armored Brigade.
In case of effective operational deployment, these units will be subordinated to the 2nd Army Division, headquartered in São Paulo, which will assume a central role in coordinating forces prepared for rapid deployment and action in different strategic points of the national territory.
New structure with four types of force
The policy reorganizes the Army into four distinct employment categories, with specific functions aimed at immediate initial response, large-scale offensive action, sustained prolonged conflicts, and the execution of integrated multi-domain operations.
Immediate Employment Forces will be positioned according to strategic location criteria, especially in border areas or regions with crisis potential, with the main mission of providing the first rapid response to any emerging threat.
Readiness Employment Forces will have an expanded capacity to operate anywhere in the national territory and also in areas of interest to the Brazilian State, with sufficient combat power to subdue threats through coordinated offensive actions.
Continuous Employment Forces will ensure the sustainment of military operations in prolonged conflict scenarios, while Multi-domain Employment Forces will bring together advanced capabilities involving anti-aircraft defense, missiles, rockets, and integrated technological warfare systems.
Use of drones at all levels of the Army
The envisioned transformation establishes the presence of drones at all levels of the Land Force, encompassing aerial, terrestrial, and maritime equipment intended for reconnaissance, continuous surveillance, and attack missions in different operational contexts.
A specific battalion will be created within the Army Aviation Command with the mission of operating Type 3 and 4 drones, characterized by greater autonomy, range, and operational capability at high altitudes in more complex scenarios.
Furthermore, this unit will function as an instruction and training center, responsible for training military personnel and disseminating technical knowledge for the use of unmanned systems throughout the Land Force structure.
In operational brigades, companies and platoons will operate Category 1 and 2 drones, significantly expanding real-time observation capability and allowing for faster and more precise responses at the tactical and operational levels.
The document maintains that superiority in modern combat depends directly on information, lethality, protection, mobility, and sustainment, factors considered essential for effective action in scenarios characterized by high technological complexity and integration across different domains.
R$ 400 billion investment until 2040
The Army presented a detailed study to the Ministry of Defense estimating **R$ 400 billion** as the necessary amount to fully modernize the Land Force by 2040, considering technological evolution and the demands of the future military scenario.
The policy itself recognizes that the national budgetary availability for the Defense sector tends to remain below identified strategic needs, requiring the adoption of rigorous prioritization criteria, administrative reorganization, and greater efficiency in internal processes.
The plan also points out that the global demand for military equipment exceeds currently available production capacity, which reinforces the need to strengthen the Defense Industrial Base and encourage national production of strategic equipment.
Among the critical capabilities highlighted in the document are **anti-aircraft defense, cyber, electronic warfare, intelligence, command and control**, in addition to the protection of strategic structures and the integration of sensors with advanced artificial intelligence tools.
Changes in military training and doctrine
The proposed transformation is not limited to the incorporation of new equipment and technologies; it also involves structural changes in military training and in how the Force’s employment doctrine will be applied in different operational scenarios.
The Army intends to revise the training of its personnel, adjust specializations according to new technological demands, and reinforce a joint employment mindset, expanding decision-making autonomy at lower echelons of the military structure.
The policy also foresees the training of professionals for the military use of emerging and disruptive technologies, in addition to conducting studies on professional ethics in the face of the increasing use of unmanned and autonomous systems in military operations.
The Army General Staff will be responsible for leading the transformation process, while the 7th Sub-Chiefdom will be in charge of governance, establishing goals, indicators, and monitoring mechanisms within the Army’s Strategic Plan.
The first measures should be incorporated into the current cycle of the 2024-2027 Strategic Plan, with more concrete implementation foreseen for the next cycle, between 2028 and 2031, aiming for gradual adaptation to the multi-domain warfare environment.
The project states that the transformation will not imply a loss of territorial presence or a reduction in the Army’s capillarity in the country, but rather a change in priorities to enhance **readiness, protection, mobility, sustainment, and response capability** in the face of new strategic challenges.
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