Shaping Strategy, Strengthening the Historic Brazil-US Ties

A highly trained military officer with a robust and extensive military education, Brazilian Army Major General Flávio Moreira Mathias is exceptionally well-prepared for his current role fostering international partnerships. With a foundation built on advanced strategic studies and specialized training in diverse operational environments, including U.N. peacekeeping missions, Maj. Gen. Mathias brings a wealth of experience to his position as deputy director of partner nations at U.S. Southern Command’s (SOUTHCOM) Strategy, Policy, and Plans Directorate (J5). His career highlights the pivotal role of comprehensive military education in enabling effective global collaboration.

Diálogo recently sat down with Maj. Gen. Mathias at SOUTHCOM headquarters to discuss his central role in contributing to translating the Command’s strategic visions into tangible plans and initiatives, all while reinforcing the long-standing partnership between Brazil and the United States.

Diálogo: Maj. Gen. Mathias, thank you for taking the time to talk a little bit about what you do here at SOUTHCOM. How long have you been an exchange officer at SOUTHCOM?

Brazilian Army Major General Flávio Moreira Mathias, deputy director of Partner Nations at U.S. Southern Command’s Strategy, Policy, and Plans Directorate (J5): Let me first thank you for the opportunity to talk a bit about my work and the military cooperation between Brazil and the United States. I have been at SOUTHCOM for a year and have one more year to go, because the exchange officer mission here is for two years. It’s a rotation of the three Brazilian Armed Forces that began in 2020, first with the Brazilian Air Force, then the Brazilian Navy, and now it’s the turn of the Brazilian Army. I am the third officer in this role.

Diálogo: How important is it for the Brazilian Armed Forces to take part in SOUTHCOM’s Exchange Officer Program, and what is the professional impact for you?

Maj. Gen. Mathias: This participation is very important. First because it strengthens the historic cooperation and partnership that we, the Brazilian Armed Forces, have had with the United States since World War II, which was when this partnership strengthened and consolidated. I also help facilitate military cooperation between both countries, and whenever there is an opportunity for international exchange, it is also an opportunity for the Brazilian Armed Forces to showcase its personnel’s professionalism — professionalism that partner countries have recognized since World War II. We’ve taken part in several U.N. missions, notably in Haiti and Congo. The mission in Haiti, which has ended, was under the command of a Brazilian general, and in Congo, it’s now a Brazilian general, Lieutenant General Ulisses de Mesquita Gomes, who was also the Brazilian military attaché in Washington.

Diálogo: What are the main objectives of your mission as Brazil’s representative at SOUTHCOM?

Maj. Gen. Mathias: In my role here as an exchange officer, I am the deputy director of Partner Nations for the J5, which is SOUTHCOM’s Strategy, Policy, and Plans Directorate. There are two objectives for my presence here, according to the memorandum of understanding that was agreed upon between Brazil’s Defense Ministry and SOUTHCOM. The first is to gain knowledge and experience in joint operations, multinational operations, and military cooperation between countries. The second objective, as part of the Joint Staff, is to contribute with my experience and knowledge. I have worked in the Army General Staff, in the Policy and Strategy section, where I advise, support, and present my perspectives and perceptions when plans are made by the J5.

Diálogo: Part of your mission as an exchange officer includes strengthening cooperation between the Brazilian Armed Forces and their U.S. counterparts. What kind of joint training programs and exercises have you been working on so far?

Maj. Gen. Mathias: In my role at the planning and strategic level of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, I don’t actually take part in exercises, but I participate in meetings, leadership gatherings, conferences, expert exchanges, and coordination of exercises, such as the main ones: UNITAS, the oldest multinational exercise in the world; PANAMAX, to which we have been participating for quite some time; and Southern Vanguard, which for us in Brazil is the CORE operation [Combined Operations and Rotation Exercise]. I also participate in exchanges related to the development of materials. For example, we have jointly developed a satellite with the United States, called SPORT [Scintillation Prediction Observations Research Task, a joint mission between NASA and the Brazilian National Institute for Space Research to study phenomena in Earth’s upper atmosphere that can impact communication], and we are now coordinating the development of a satellite constellation, called ITASAT-2. I also participate in cyber defense exchanges, which is a very important issue today, as well as several other activities that we carry out in partnership with the United States.

Diálogo: Now that you mentioned specific exercises, let’s talk about CRUZEX. Brazil leads CRUZEX, one of the world’s largest multinational exercises and the largest in Latin America. What were the lessons learned from the 2024 iteration, and what will be new for the next version? What is the role of the exchange officer for CRUZEX?

Maj. Gen. Mathias: I participate in the initial coordination. CRUZEX is an exercise that took place last year for the ninth time. It’s already a traditional exercise for the Brazilian Air Force and, as you mentioned, it is the largest multinational exercise in the Southern Hemisphere. Last year, 15 countries took part in the exercise, with more than 3,500 military personnel and 100 aircraft, carrying out more than 900 air missions. These are truly impressive numbers, especially given how many countries were involved, and it’s critical for the Air Force because it develops coordination capabilities. Coordinating armed forces from different countries is always a huge challenge in terms of achieving interoperability, and the Air Force considers this an important aspect of its training. The next edition is scheduled for 2028, in three years, and last year [2024], following the evolution of global conflicts, cyber defense actions and space operations were also implemented in the space domain.

Diálogo: Brazil also participates in Southern Vanguard, or CORE. What can you tell us about the next edition of CORE?

Maj. Gen. Mathias: For us here at SOUTHCOM, Southern Vanguard or CORE is a very important exercise. It started in 2021, and for the Brazilian Army, it was a real leap in our training because we’re training with the U.S. Army, which has extensive combat experience. This gives us a benchmark for training, a chance to get to higher levels, and even evaluate ourselves, assess how we’re doing. It’s a multinational exercise in rotation that alternates locations between Brazil and the United States, also rotating specialties. It started with air assault operations, then operations in a jungle environment, and this year, in Brazil, operations are planned in a desert environment in the country’s northeastern region. So, for Brazil, our specialized brigades, the rapid action forces — those trained for immediate deployment — are the ones that participate. This rotation of environments or specialties contributes a lot to our training.

Diálogo: Your professional military career has taken you around the globe, from Guatemala, to Haiti, Spain, and Indonesia, to name a few countries. How important is international collaboration, and more particularly this Exchange Officer Program at SOUTHOM, to strengthen security and combat common threats?

Maj. Gen. Mathias: International collaboration is important, and the main objective is interoperability. So, when working together, as I mentioned earlier with Operation CORE, we observe with each rotation with the U.S. Army that mutual knowledge is being developed, which greatly facilitates operations. So, for me, this is the main tool for developing interoperability: exercises, exchanges, training, courses as well, but exercises are the main thing. As I often say, when a real situation occurs, an emergency, we don’t have time to learn. The best way is to work and practice beforehand. So, all this collaboration, and of course exercises at the highest level, are great tools to increase interoperability mutual knowledge, and trust, so that, when necessary, we can be deployed together without any difficulty.

Diálogo: What lessons in cooperation do you hope to take back to Brazil when you finish your mission at SOUTHCOM?

Maj. Gen. Mathias: I have learned a lot about the U.S. military organization, its doctrine, planning process, and culture, which is very important, because the culture of each people influences the way they solve military problems. Seeing how U.S. military personnel think and solve military problems daily has been a great learning experience for me. But I think that what is most important are the friendships we make, because no matter how virtual the world is, with videoconferencing and great advances in communications, interpersonal knowledge will never be replaced. And speaking of cooperation and interoperability, when we know our colleagues personally, it makes things much easier. The friendships I have made here this year, and that I am sure will continue to make, will be an important aspect of strengthening military cooperation between Brazil and the United States.

Diálogo: Major General Flavio Moreira Mathias, Brazilian exchange officer at SOUTHCOM, thank you very much for your time, and I hope to see you again soon.

Maj. Gen. Mathias: Again, I am grateful for the opportunity and hope to contribute greatly this year to the work here at SOUTHCOM to strengthen our historic partnership.