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By Margareth Lourenco
According to satellite images of the Amazon Protection System (Sipam) of the Ministry of Defense, there was a reduction of the regions affected by fires in the Legal Amazon — the part of the Amazon within the Brazilian boundary — from Aug. 24 to 26. The points detected by Sipam's satellite indicate the most critical areas, being a useful tool to guide the firefighters in the field.
"Operation Green Brazil," which was quickly launched by the government on Aug. 23, involves 2,500 military personnel, and the employment of 15 aircraft including airplanes and helicopters, as well as 210 vehicles and 10 vessels. The operation began from the decree of employment of the Armed Forces in the Guarantee of Law and Environmental Order (GLOA). This decree will remain in force until Sept. 24.
The actions of Three Military Forces (Navy, Army and Air Force) are coordinated by the Amazon Military Command and the Northern Military Command. The Amazon Military Command, located in Manaus, encompasses the states of Amazonas, Acre, Rondonia, Roraima, Amapa and part of Maranhao. The Northern Military Command, located in Belem, comprises the states of Para, Amapa, Maranhao and part of Tocantins.
Whilst all efforts are being made to battle forest fires, the government is also giving a session for fire brigades about raising awareness of fire prevention and emergency response.
The Armed Forces are being deployed in support of state government firefighters already working in the border regions, indigenous lands and the federal government's property. This effort is in collaboration with other Brazilian institutions including the Military Fire Brigade, fire prevention and firefighting teams of the Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (IBAMA), Military Environmental Police, and Management and Operational Center of the Amazon Protection System (CENSIPAM).
In the late afternoon of Aug. 26, President Jair Bolsonaro checked the activities carried out at the Joint Operations Center, at the headquarters of the Ministry of Defense. He was received by Fernando Azevedo (Defense Minister), and was accompanied by Onix Lorenzoni (Chief of Staff), Sergio Moro (Justice Minister), Ernesto Araujo (Foreign Affairs Minister), General Ramos (Secretary of State), General Augusto Heleno (Chief of Institutional Security Office). Also present were Commanders of the Armed Forces, Admiral Ilques Barbosa of the Navy, General Edson Leal Pujol of the Army, and Brigadier Antonio Carlos Moretti Bermudez of the Air Force, in addition to the spokesman of the Presidency of the Republic, General Otavio Rego Barros.
When President Bolsonaro was leaving, the defense minister stressed the efficient response of Operation Green Brazil and said, "I am proud of the collaborative effort of the Armed Forces and other institutions. The situation is not simple, but it is certainly under control. And the fires are in decline."
GLOA was enacted to serve the nine states of the Legal Amazon. Seven out of those nine states have been authorized by the President to get the military support.
Margareth Lourenco is an official at Brazilian Ministry of Defense's PR Department.
