09/19/2024 – 21:50
The Federal Court of Auditors (TCU) stated this Wednesday, the 18th, that Brazilian laws do not prevent the Armed Forces from purchasing material from companies based in countries that are at war and that there are no international treaties to which Brazil is a signatory that create obstacles in this regard.
The decision responded to a question from the Ministry of Defense and was taken unanimously.
In April, the Israeli group Elbit Systems won a bid to supply 36 armored vehicles for the Army’s artillery. Now, the government needs to resolve internal issues before closing deals. One of them is the opposition to the acquisition by Celso Amorim, chief advisor for International Affairs to the Presidency of the Republic.
Critics of the purchase argue that it is inconsistent for the Brazilian government to purchase military equipment from Israel, whose actions in the Gaza Strip are criticized by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT), and claim that the purchase of the howitzers, for almost R$1 billion, could finance Israeli attacks on the Palestinians. Based on the technical criteria and lowest price, the Israeli company won the bid against companies from France, China and Slovakia.
The head of the Defense Ministry, José Múcio, intends to offer a counterpart: instead of purchasing 36 vehicles, the Land Force would receive only two units for testing. If approved, the remaining 34 howitzers would be purchased by the Brazilian government on the condition that the weapons be produced in the country.
This action would involve Ares Aeroespacial and AEL Sistemas, Brazilian companies that could generate up to 400 direct jobs. One of the major issues defended by Lula in this third government is the revival of Brazil’s defense industry.
The Brazilian Army launched a bidding process to purchase the weapons in 2017, claiming the need to modernize the equipment. The system acquired by the Brazilian Army is already in use by other military forces.
The armies of Denmark, a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and Colombia operate the most current version. Several other countries, including the Philippines and Thailand, operate older versions of the device.
A howitzer is an artillery piece that launches projectiles in curved trajectories, allowing it to hit targets that are protected by obstacles or in areas inaccessible to direct fire. Unlike cannons, which fire in a straight line, the howitzer is ideal for long-range attacks and with a greater angle of elevation, which makes it more effective in rough terrain.
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