There are dozens of different positions in the three institutions that take care of the country’s defense – the Army, the Navy and the Air Force. Let’s focus on one at a time.
Army
There are 19 different positions in the Brazilian Army. The base of the pyramid are the soldiers. Then, in order, come the corporals sergeants, lieutenants, captains, majors, lieutenant colonels, colonelsand the generals.
These ranks also have subdivisions – sergeants, for example, are classified as first, second and third sergeant. In the military career, promotions are distributed according to career time and merit of each one, all analyzed in performance evaluations.
In times of peace, the highest rank is that of general-in-army, who commands troops throughout the country. In case of war, a special position is created, the marshal, who leads the Army at the time of conflict and responds directly to the President of the Republic for his actions. Historically, this structure began to be designed at the beginning of the 20th century, under the influence of two different armed forces: the French, shortly after the First World War (1914-1918), and the American, in the 1940s.
The Minister of Defense is not part of the military hierarchy. He is a kind of administrative director of the Armed Forces. As this is a political position, he does not need to be a military officer. Its functions are to integrate the Army, Navy and Air Force, plan the military budget and coordinate participation in peacekeeping operations.
starting in career
Also called “sleeve-smooth” for not having any insignia on the uniform, the soldier occupies the lowest rank in the military hierarchy. When moving up the career ladder, the soldier obtains his first graduation, becoming a corporal.
The taifeiro is a jack of all trades. He is the soldier who helps in the kitchen, cafeteria and storeroom. There are three ranks: second-class cabin boy (lowest), first-class cabin boy and chief cabin boy (highest). The next post in the career is also corporal.
They are the basic subdivisions of the Army troop. Those who act directly in combat are the cavalry, infantry and artillery.
Cavalry
The name refers to the horses, used by the troops until the 19th century. Today, the cavalry is composed of tanks and armored cars with great firepower
Infantry
It is the weapon composed by soldiers who fight on foot, using from simple rifles to latest generation missiles.
Artillery
It is the area responsible for operating cannons, howitzers (a kind of war mortar), rockets and missiles
Hierarchy•
- Soldier
- cabin boy
- Cable
- Third sergeant
- second sergeant
- First Sergeant (takes care of administrative tasks)
- Warrant Officer
- aspirant
- second lieutenant
- First lieutenant
- Captain
- Major (commands elite companies, squadrons and batteries, reporting directly to military command)
- Lieutenant Colonel
- colonel
- Brigadier General
- Major General
- Major General
- Army general
- Army general chosen by the President of the Republic
navy
In total, there are 15 different ranks and ranks. And you don’t have to like water to join the Brazilian Navy, as its military personnel are divided into two main groups: the Marine Corpswhich is on land, and the navy corps, which takes care of the vessels. There are also other groups, such as the Corps of Engineers and the Health Corpswho have a more discreet participation in war scenarios.
Marine units form a kind of infantry. If you watched the movie Saving Private Ryan, you might remember the scene where thousands of men land on a beach and start a violent fight. These are the marines, who have a hierarchy similar to that of the Army. The navy’s sailors are scattered across the 110 ships and various aircraft (yes, the Navy also has planes and helicopters!) that make up our country’s fleet.
Ships, which are the weapons that differentiate the Navy from other forces, are organized into departments – such as deck and engine – which may have divisions. On deck, for example, the most common divisions are the bow (front part of the vessel), the stern (rear part) and the midships. Sailors, corporals, sergeants and non-commissioned officers work in the divisions.
Each vessel also has a master and a mate, or second-in-command. The rank of the boss on board increases with the size of the ship. An aircraft carrier, for example, is commanded by the sea-and-war captain.
Naval battle
The military is divided into two main groups: marines and navy sailors. At the lowest rank in the Marine hierarchy is the Soldier. It is he who, during a war, disembarks and fights on dry land. Marujo is the generic name of any soldier who serves in the Navy, regardless of rank. The lowest rank among sailors is that of sailor.
As in the army, in the navy the soldier evolves to cable. In the Marine Corps, the Corporal commands firing squads, which are small units made up of three soldiers and a corporal. In the Navy Corps, he is specialized in some services – cCertain ships have corporals who are experts in maneuvers and repairs, for example.
at the service stations tthird sergeant, ssecond sergeant, Pfirst sergeant It is sofficial of the Marine Corps, the military commands combat groups. Already in the Navy Corps, they supervise ship divisions such as the bow division (front of the vessel). Like cables, they can also be specialized for some functions.
O ssecond lieutenant It is Pfirst lieutenant sThey are responsible for platoons in the Marine Corps, units formed by three combat groups or up to 45 soldiers. In the Corps of the Navy they cthe supervisors of the divisions head. On smaller vessels, they can run departments, which are sets of divisions. To fly Navy planes you need to be at least a second lieutenant.
At the Marine Corps, the wcaptain lieutenant wHe commands the companies, formed by about 200 fighters. In the Corps of the Navy he is the commander of small vessels, such as river patrol ships (40 to 60 people) and buoys (about 20 people).
More strategic companies, such as police and landing support units, are headed by a corvette captain. In the Corps of the Navy, heIntermediate-sized ships are ordered, such as the corvette (122 people) and hospital assistance ships.
O wfrigate whistle is responsible for the battalions in the Marine Corps. In the Navy he cCommand strategic vessels during a battle, such as submarines and tankers.
Who commands large ships is the wsea and war whistle. In Brazil, the são paulo aircraft carrier is headed by a sea and war captain. In the Marine Corps hecaptains a base, a kind of headquarters that centralizes combat support activities in a given area.
O rear admiral he can command less strategic districts (geographical regions), such as the 6th Naval District – formed by Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul. In the Navy he commands the three forces in which the country’s vessels and aircraft are divided: surface force (ships) , naval air force (helicopters and planes) and submarine force.
From the post of vice admiralto the functions become more political and, therefore, the distinction between marines and sailors disappears. The vice-admiral commands naval districts, which are units responsible for the waters (coastal, rivers and dams) of certain regions. As a kind of “water Detran”, each district also inspects civilian boats.
O fleet admiral It is the highest rank in the Navy, chosen directly by the President of the Republic. He commands the country’s eight naval districts. The rank of admiral, immediately above, only exists in times of war.
aeronautics
Like the Army and Navy, the Air Force has more than 20 posts, spread across 22 different groups. Among these groups, those who effectively engage in combat are the Infantry Squad and the Aviation Board.
The Infantry is the arm of the Air Force that operates on land, taking care of the security of air bases and airports in times of peace and taking up arms for land battles during wars – despite receiving combat training, the soldiers of the Air Force Infantry have a primary defense function.
The Aviation Board, as the name implies, brings together the officers who fly the country’s military planes. To be part of this group, you must be at least a lieutenant, studying for at least four years at the Air Force Academy and taking a specific course to fly.
Planes take to the air with a very lean structure. In small models, such as the F-5 fighters, there is only room for one person, who is both the pilot and the aircraft commander, who responds directly to orders from the squadron or group leader. On larger aircraft, such as those used for troop transports, there is usually a first pilot who acts as commander and a second pilot or deputy commander.
To move up in rank in the Air Force hierarchy, the military needs to have a long career, undergo performance evaluations and participate in several refresher courses – the process is very similar to what happens in the Army and Navy.
One last detail: it is good to clarify that the highest rank is not always linked to commanding the most powerful aircraft. As aircraft captains are pilots, they need to take specific courses to learn how to operate new models. Therefore, it can happen that a better-trained captain commands an invoked plane in place of a colonel who has not taken the necessary courses.
Free to fly
Occupying the lowest rank in the hierarchy, the Soldier takes care of the security of the bases of the Air Force. As in the army, the air force also has stewardswhat help with kitchen services at air bases. already the cable lhe leads the squadrons, small units formed by a corporal and four soldiers.
O third sergeant, ssergeant, pfirst sergeant It is sofficial command the so-called combat groups, which bring together two squadrons. All these belong to the Infantry Corps.
The Aviation Board does not have the so-called “graduates”, the name given to lower-ranking military personnel. To join this weapon, the candidate needs to take a four-year course at the Air Force Academy to learn to fly. After graduation, he leaves the course as a lieutenant.
When the military arrives second lieutenanthe can already fly planes. In the infantry, the second and first lieutenant lead platoons, formed by three combat groups.
already the captain lleads the companies, encompassing three platoons, with about 90 soldiers. In aviation he ccommand the squadrons, small groups of aircraft that generally serve to train pilots.
O major is rresponsible for Infantry battalions, which have from 180 to 450 soldiers, or lhe leads the squadrons, groups of an average of three or four planes of the same type – a set of F-5 fighters, for example.
O Lieutenant Colonel wcommand the special infantry battalions,…