Few days before the training, the Director of CRUZEX 2018 talks about the exercise

16 November 2018 by Ingles 888 Views
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Few days before the training, the Director of CRUZEX 2018 talks about the exercise

General Medeiros, Commander of Ala 10 and Director of CRUZEX 2018, brings more details about the exercise, that will begin on November 18th.

Few days before the beginning of CRUZEX 2018, the greatest joint multinational exercise organized by the Brazilian Air Force, the training Director, General Luiz Guilherme Silveira de Medeiros, brings more details about it.

Which phase of CRUZEX is being executed in this moment?

A C-17 cargo aircraft from the United States has already arrived, on Thursday, 15th. However, it might not participate in the exercise. The other delegations are on the way here, as planned. The Brazilian squadrons are landing here in Ala 10. Today, in this aerodrome, we will have familiarization flights, known as FAM-FIT (Familiarization and Integration Training) to Brazilian pilots who do not usually fly here.


Why is CRUZEX so important? What kind of operational gains the Brazilian Air Force is expecting from this training?

The exercise is important for three reasons. First, because of the exchange of experiences. In 2002, the first edition of CRUZEX, we received three countries with aircraft and one sent a military observer. Today, we have seven countries that will participate with airplanes, and also the observers. That is, the evolution is clear. It is not for nothing that the number of interested people has increased. Second, CRUZEX is important because of the interoperability: in this edition, the Army and Navy will participate, even in the actions of unconventional war, which is one of the main innovations of this edition. In this kind of scenario, the conflict is not between two constituted States, but against insurgent powers. And, finally, the exercise is important because of the possibility of training our logistic and operational means. This is essential because, in the case of a conflict or of a displacement to attend a peace mission, we must have this expertise to execute it.

You talked about the evolution between the first edition and CRUZEX 2018. Could you mention any example of operational gains in the Air Force brought by this exercise over the years?

There are two important examples. Command and Control is one of them. Today, Brazil is highly developed and talks the same language of NATO countries. We can work in an integrated way with these countries. Another aspect is what we call shot validation, an activity that occurs in exercises like the Red Flag, from the United States Air Force. It is not only about reaching the targets, but evaluating the results and verifying how they are achieved. When we execute a simulation of in-flight weaponry employment, we are able of evaluating the levels of operational performance we have achieved. If the employment is real, it is much easier to do the verification, because we can see the armament hits the target. In the case of simulation, it is necessary to use systems in integrated ways.

During the trainings, will there be activities gathering different countries?
Yes. There will be in-flight refueling with aircraft from different countries, parachute launching performed by planes from other countries, among other examples. This is the most important part of exchanging experiences, because a great number of military that will be in action here have already been in conflict situations.


This is the first time we train the unconventional war scenario in CRUZEX. Why was it chosen for this edition?

The State necessities naturally evolve of the years. We have already trained our terrestrial means in peacekeeping missions, like the one happened in Haiti. Our naval assets have also been trained in the Lebanon mission, for example, that had a commander from the Brazilian Navy. Aerial means have only been used in transport missions. Now, we have entered a UN audit to use other aircraft in peacekeeping missions – for example, the Amazon C-105, H-6O Black Hawk and the Super Tucano A-29. These aircraft are already pre-approved to be employed. In the case of a necessity, we are ready to operate. So, the actions we will train in CRUZEX 2018 are tied to the unconventional war kind of conflict. These are very specific actions and, in these cases, the risk of collateral damage, that is, of reaching civilians or facilities that are not directly related to the conflict is very high.

Why investing in training in a pacific country like Brazil?

The Armed Forces belong to the Brazilian people. And, because of the characteristics of our country, they are more defense forces than attack forces; they serve to guarantee the defense of the country e its constituted powers. This is our mission e and the reason we have to be ready and this is why we are training here.


The Brazilian Air Force had a period of five years without CRUZEX. Why?

Between the last edition in 2013 and this edition, the country hosted major events, like the Confederations Cup, the World Cup and the Olympics. During these period, we had a great involvement of the three Armed Forces. We did not have enough resources to conduct an exercise of these proportions.

Interview By: Lieutenant Gabrielli Dala Vechia

Photography By: Seargent Bianca Viol

Translation By: Lieutenant Ludmila Milhorance