UN pre-deployment advanced field exercise begins
Rio de Janeiro (RJ) - On the morning of 13 April, the Brazilian Peace Operations Joint Training Center (CCOPAB) started the UN pre-deployment advanced field exercise (EAOP, acronym in Portuguese) to prepare the troops of the Brazilian Battalion (BRABAT) as part of the 22nd Brazilian contingent in the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti. MG Henrique Martins Nolasco Sobrinho, Commander of the 9th Motorized Infantry Brigade and coordinator of the battalion preparation, was present at the opening ceremony.
The exercise will be carried out from 13 to 24 April in the vicinity of Vila Militar, including Sulacap, Valqueire, Bento Ribeiro, Oswaldo Cruz e Marechal Hermes. This exercise will be done with 850 troops from BRABAT and 287 military personnel among coordinators, role players and security. It is the first time that EAOP, usually carried out in a week, is prepared to last for two weeks.
This is the last preparation phase of the Brazilian Battalion. It is based on a simulation which recreates, on the streets of the city of Rio de Janeiro, situations likely to be found by the troops when in Haiti. On 11 May, the deployment of BRABAT for a six-month mission tour will begin.
Translation: CPT ISRAEL
