CCOPAB carries out an exercise in the city of Natal
From 26 to 31 of October, CCOPAB has carried out the Advanced Exercise for Peacekeeping Operations (EAOP) in the area of Natal/RN. This exercise is the final preparation of the Brazilian contingents to be deployed in several countries under peacekeeping missions by international organizations. The contingent to be prepared in Natal is the 19th of the Brazilian Peacekeeping Engineering Company – Haiti (BRAENGCOY), which will leave Brazil next November in order to be part of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH, French acronym for Mission des Nations Unies pour la Stabilisation en Haïti).
The 1st Group of Military Engineering (1º Gpt E), settled in João Pessoa/PB, is the major military unit in charge of managing the preparation of the 19th Contingent/BRAENGCOY. The military personnel composing this contingent are gathered in the facilities of the 7th Combat Engineering Battalion (7º BE Cmb) for the centralized preparation which has started in the beginning of October.
As far as EAOP is specifically concerned, its coordination is provided by the Brazilian Peacekeeping Operations Joint Center (CCOPAB), the Brazilian Military Organization settled in the city of Rio de Janeiro/RJ and subordinated to the Brazilian Ministry of Defense whose mission is to support the preparation of military personnel, police officers and civilians from Brazil and friendly countries for peacekeeping missions and humanitarian demining missions. In this exercise CCOPAB is the tool used by 1º Gpt E for the final assessment of this Engineering military contingent before its deployment in Haiti.
The Engineering Contingent, composed of 250 military personnel from the Brazilian Army, has 19 of them originally from the State of Rio Grande do Norte, as well as military personnel from other states serving in several military organizations throughout Brazil. All personnel have been taught operative technical instructions as assigned by the United Nations (UN) since the beginning of October.
From 21 to 25 of October, BRAENGCOY has carried out the Basic Exercise for Peacekeeping Operations (EBOP) in the facilities of the battalion as the last training for the execution of EAOP through the following week.
EAOP aims at assessing the preparation, drilling and professionalism of the personnel to be deployed in peacekeeping operations. Besides, it enhances the "sprit de corps", as well as the feeling of mission accomplishment, of the members of the contingent. During the week EAOP has been carried out (26 through 31 of October), the troops assessed have gone through intense activities with simulated situations as may occur during the mission in Haiti.
It is important to highlight that the choice of the city which holds the contingent preparation takes into account several aspects, such as offering the best conditions to host the whole personnel to be deployed, and in this case the 7º BE Cmb masters this condition. Every contingent leaving to Haiti comes from a specific region of Brazil, and it follows the rotations of the contingents: for example, the two previous groups had been trained in the cities of Pindamonhangaba (State of São Paulo) and Aquidauana (State of Mato Grosso do Sul).
Respecting their areas of responsibility during the exercise, the troops must develop and participate in several synchronized activities according to the schedule made regarding updated events occurred in the real area of the mission.
The exercise counts on the support by the academia from several courses of Universidade Potiguar, by the Harbormaster of the city of Natal and by security organizations (the Office of Public Security and Social Defense of the State of Rio Grande do Norte, the State Integrated Center of Public Security Operations [CIOESP/RN], the General Command of the State Military Police, the General Command of the State Military Fire Brigade, the Brazilian Central Agency of Intelligence [ACI] and the Brazilian Federal Highway Police). Besides the previously planned activities, the assessors make up several other fictitious situations, considered essential for the success of the exercise, which are set up with the help of the guest supporters and of the local population. Among those situations and events, we must highlight the support by non-governmental organizations; civil and military (CIMIC) activities such as the restoration of two state schools (Escola Estadual General Antônio V.S. Rocha placed at Rua Tenente Siqueira, 6, within the neighborhood of Tirol and in the military area of the 7th Motorized Infantry Brigade, and Escola Estadual Caffé Filho which is located within the area of 7º BE Cmb, the latter counting on recreation activities for the children attending this school); and several constructions carried out by the Engineering military personnel. These situations are vital for the training of the different cells and operational systems from a Peacekeeping Engineering Company as they simulate the operational environment as close as possible to reality the troops will be inserted in. EAOP is thus the last step for the preparation of the military personnel before their deployment in the mission.
The exercise operators have previewed to have massive circulation of people and civil and military vehicles in the region during the week of execution. All the maneuvers have been thoroughly controlled and it has been requested to the locals not to interfere in the activities so as for the simulated actions to occur in normal conditions of safety for the population and for the public and private facilities. This exercise has deployed blank ammunition which is specific for training situations thus it has not been risky for the community.
The support of the locals has been utterly important for the preparation of the military personnel to be deployed in Haiti.
BRAZIL! INTEGRATION!
