By MANUEL DOMINGOS NETO*
Commanders who were resistant to political activism in the barracks belatedly realized the disruptive potential of ultra-reactionary militancy in the ranks.
1.
The list of whistleblowers who have been awarded prizes is set to grow. More corrosive allegations will emerge. Black boxes may be opened. The sensationalism of the newspapers will continue the prolonged destruction of the military's image. The festival of petty ambitions, harmful rivalries, personal feuds, sordid schemes and endless procedures outside the law has no end in sight.
The ignominy of those who intended to set the country on fire and assume power with their backs turned to the law will daily feed the ferocity of the average Brazilian.
The negative exposure of the barracks is the price of the macabre journey, which began well before Jair Bolsonaro's government. The breakdown of institutionality surpasses the Tabajara attempt to keep him in power by any means necessary. The planning of assassinations and the destruction of palaces are the result of a long and still poorly described process.
To rebuild its image, the barracks will have to hold accountable those who, for decades, stirred up the depths of ultraconservatism and exalted the dictatorship.
The moves aimed at imposing an authoritarian regime include the arbitrary arrests of the mensalão scandal, the interruption of Dilma Rousseff's term, Lula's conviction, the incitement of millions of members of the "military family", the grotesque conduction of Jair Bolsonaro to the Planalto, the denialist preaching during the pandemic, the mad search for sinecures in public administration, the psychological operations aimed at interfering in popular mood, the collusion with foreign enemies of Brazil and the contestation of electronic voting machines.
Commanders who were resistant to political activism in the barracks were late in realizing the divisive potential of ultra-reactionary militancy in the ranks. Comparisons of historical figures are always questionable, but it would be difficult to recall a moral embarrassment of the military as that which is disturbing the barracks today.
Little by little, the hitmen are being incriminated. Some will be dishonorably expelled from the corporations, a rare case in national history.
Brazilian democrats will have their happy moment with the arrest of coup icons. They should think about domestic animals, autistic people, and celebrate without setting off fireworks.
Rebuilding the image of the ranks requires risky purges. The chain of command may be broken. Chiefs will be tested. Disagreements between corporations may break out. This week, the sailor exposed his stubbornness by attacking the person who guarantees his salary.
The coup plotting seems to be temporarily contained. But it is worth remembering that this is a resource inherent to ultraconservatism, which showed strength in the last elections. The desires for democracy, sovereignty and socioeconomic development will continue to be combated. Lula governs under severe constraints. In the ongoing ideological struggle, there seems to be no room left for essential social changes.
2.
Nevertheless, it is necessary to debate the construction of the legitimacy of the barracks because, without a respected instrument of force, the sovereign and democratic State is a chimera.
How about some initiatives to benefit National Defense? Brazil needs to insert itself with dignity in a global scenario that announces widespread war.
In the quest for legitimacy, ranks can gain points by cutting wasteful spending and preparing to wage real war.
The elimination of hundreds of useless military units in response to the foreign aggressor would be applauded. The advancement in naval and air capacity would also be applauded. The perfidious foreigner will not be shot down with rifle fire. Rambos will not prevent an eventual blockade of our international trade.
We need hypersonic missiles, aircraft, boats, drones and satellites manufactured entirely here, with Brazilian know-how. External dependence on weapons and equipment attests to the failure of National Defense.
It is time to reduce manpower in favor of real defensive capacity.
To assert sovereignty, the most significant gesture would be the closure of the obsolete military commissions in Europe and the United States, legacies of the world wars revealing a connection that has done us harm.
Appeals for national cohesion would be fundamental. The most spectacular would be a thank you from the Navy Command to the Black Admiral. No one contributed more than João Cândido to reducing the Navy's slavery stigma.
However, the high point of the affirmation of the barracks as an instrument of the Brazilian will would be the redefinition of its constitutional role.
The Constitution must prohibit the use of the Armed Forces against Brazilians and dedicate them exclusively to combating foreign aggressors.
The guarantee of law and order must be entrusted to institutions that deal with citizenship. Surveillance of the sea coast and land borders are police duties. Public security is not a military specialty.
The functional personality disorder of the ranks, originating from the imperial-slave regime, would finally disappear. This is a fundamental step to avoid militaristic delusions.
With a clearly defined mission, the headquarters would have a better chance of getting back on its feet. Who knows, it would better protect itself from inglorious shocks and allow society to define its course without any surprises.
* Manuel Domingos Neto He is a retired UFC professor and former president of the Brazilian Association of Defense Studies (ABED). Author, among other books What to do with the military – Notes for a new National Defense (Reading Cabinet). [https://amzn.to/3URM7ai]
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