Brazilian Armed Forces

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The Brazilian Armed Forces, or Forças Armadas Brasileiras, are Brazil’s national military, made up of the Army, Navy and Air Force. They report to the Ministry of Defense and are based in Brasília. The Joint Staff coordinates all three services, while the President serves as Commander-in-Chief and the Minister of Defense is the top civilian official. The Joint Chiefs of Staff is led by Admiral Renato Freire.

Active personnel number about 376,000, with around 1.34 million in reserve. Military service is compulsory for men aged 18–45 for 10–12 months; voluntary service is allowed for 17–45. Women have served since the 1980s, mainly in the Army, with Navy and Air Force open to female personnel in various roles.

The 2023 defense budget is around US$24.8 billion, about 1.1% of GDP. Brazil has a domestic defense industry with major companies such as Embraer, along with many international suppliers from the United States, Europe and elsewhere.

Brazil’s armed forces defend a vast territory: about 8.5 million square kilometers of land and 7,367 kilometers of coastline, with 16,880 kilometers of land borders to patrol. They run border security programs (SISFRON) and oversee the Blue Amazon—the country’s vast exclusive economic zone and continental shelf. Space assets include SGDC communications satellites and the Space Operations Center, opened in 2020, to manage space and satellite operations. The government aims to integrate and secure these assets through advanced data links like Link-BR2, shared across the three services.

The Army maintains a Readiness Forces division of about 15,000 personnel for missions at home and abroad. The Navy operates eight bases and includes Marines and Naval Aviation. The Air Force has around 70,000 active personnel and manages air and space operations through the Aerospace Operations Command, established in 2017. Since 1999, the Ministry of Defense coordinates all services, with the Joint Staff planning and directing joint operations as needed. Brazil has also participated in UN peacekeeping missions, such as in Haiti and East Timor. Within Brazil, the Military Police and Firefighters Corps serve as auxiliary forces for internal security.