The government announced yesterday (July 28th) that the implementation of the National Security Plan in Rio de Janeiro will employ 8,500 members of the Armed Forces, 620 members of the National Security Force and 1,120 of the Federal Highway Police, in an effort to improve security. According to the commander of the operation, General of the 1st Army Division, Mauro Sinott, the use of the Armed Forces can be deployed at any time and there will be no routine, neither schedules nor locations. This comes a day after Defense Minister Raul Jungmann described the federal efforts as
‘focusing on three pillars: integration, intelligence and surprise’, but also saying there will be no ostensible presence of the Armed Forces occupying the streets, according to a government news source. In the wake of the economic crisis and breakdown of the security in Rio, including the UPP program, federal authorities are taking a new tack. Looking to avoid a costly occupation effort, Jungmann confirmed that “The menu is any and every action that is needed to strike and take away the capacity of the [drug] trafficking.” READ MORE
