For the first time, both the US and China have sent troops to participate in an annual joint military exercise led by the Brazilian Armed Forces.
Known as Operation Formosa, the exercise takes place in a city of the same name, home to around 120,000 people, in Goiás State in south-central Brazil. Launched in 1988, it is one of the largest military exercises in South America and serves as a platform for the armed forces of participating nations to enhance interoperability, conduct joint military operations and exchange insights on tactics and strategy.
Nearly 3,000 military personnel, including from Argentina, France, Italy, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Republic of Congo and South Africa, are currently taking part in the drills, which are set to conclude 17 September.
A Brazilian Armed Forces spokesperson told the South China Morning Post that the Chinese PLA (People’s Liberation Army) Navy contributed 33 service members and the US Navy 54 service members to the exercise this year. Last year, troops from the US Southern Command participated while China took part as an observer.
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Operation Formosa this month marks the first joint military exercise to include both China and the US since 2016, when Beijing was invited to participate in the five-week Rim of the Pacific Exercise (Rimpac).
Touted as the largest international naval exercise, the 2016 edition of the US Pacific Fleet-sponsored exercise included 25,000 personnel from 26 countries, 45 surface ships, five submarines and over 200 aircraft. China sent five warships and around 1,200 personnel.
After participating in the 2014 and 2016 editions, China was not invited to Rimpac 2018 due to heightened tensions over China’s “continued militarisation of the South China Sea,” then-Pentagon spokesman Lt Col Christopher Logan said at the time.
China has not participated in the years since, although late August saw the first visit to China by a US national security advisor since 2016, and senior military officials held a video call on issues of common concern yesterday, according to the Chinese defence ministry.
China and Brazil have enjoyed a much more stable military relationship. China participated in training programmes at Brazil’s Jungle Warfare Training Centre in 2015, while the Brazilian Peace Operations Joint Training Center hosted Chinese students in 2017.
More recently, in 2023, PLA Navy officers travelled to Brazil to hold extensive discussions with their Brazilian counterparts and in July, the commander of the Brazilian army, General Tomas Miguel Ribeiro Paiva, went to Beijing to strengthen cooperation in academic affairs and explore collaborations in multiple defence-related fields.
