Passage of command in the Army ignores coup acts – 02/07/2023 – Power

The Army used the change of command this Tuesday (7) to try to demonstrate internally that the cohesion and spirit of the generalship were not affected, despite the beginning of the crisis that started with the dismissal of General Júlio César de Arruda and the criticism that the High Command of the Force has received for the military’s relationship with former President Jair Bolsonaro (PL).

The signal was passed on during the Army’s change of command, a ceremony in which Arruda symbolically handed over the leadership of the Ground Force to General Tomás Paiva —chosen by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) to change the guidelines for the military and punish those who participated of the January 8 attacks.

In addition to the entire Army High Command, former reserve commanders and generals, such as Villas Bôas and Hamilton Mourão, elected senator for the Republicans of Rio Grande do Sul, participated in the ceremony.

Former Minister of Defense Paulo Sérgio Nogueira also participated in the ceremony, in his first participation in official Army events after the conduct considered by generals as erratic in the inspection of the Armed Forces in the electoral process.

At the event, the invasion of the headquarters of the Three Powers and the way the Army conducted the coup camps in front of the headquarters were not mentioned in the speeches, according to reports by four generals consulted by the Sheet.

One of the main doubts in the government would be the tone that Arruda would give in his speech. After his resignation, in January, the general called an extraordinary meeting of the Army High Command — an action understood by palace advisors as an attempt by Arruda to seek support among peers, in addition to embedding a veiled threat.

Arruda, however, made a long speech highlighting his 48-year career in the Army, praising Defense Minister José Múcio Monteiro, who dismissed him. Generals said that the former commander left through the front door, unlike what happened in the Navy, when Admiral Almir Garnier left the command of the Naval Force without handing over his position.

The handover ceremony was more restricted than usual. The justification presented internally is that General Júlio César de Arruda is still recovering from a surgery performed at the end of January, which would prevent him from participating in an event that would require greater physical interaction.

The exchange took place at the Army headquarters, in Brasília, with the traditional passing of the replica of the sword of Duque de Caxias, the patron saint of the Force.

Arruda was dismissed from command of the Army after leading a series of disagreements with President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) and his team. The cases generated a “crisis of confidence”, according to Defense Minister José Múcio Monteiro.

Criticism of Arruda began even before his choice. During the transition, when Múcio decided to promote the most senior general officers to command the Armed Forces, PT members complained to Lula about the general’s profile.

It is trained as special forces, the Army’s elite troops, one of the most influential areas in the military career, known for the rigidity of its positions.

Before taking office, Lula was already advised by allies to choose the second or third most senior in the Army, Valério Stumpf or Tomás Paiva, respectively. The second is also special forces, but has political savvy known to PT interlocutors.

Tomás was Commander Villas Bôas’s chief of staff when the general published a tweet saying, on the eve of the habeas corpus trial filed by Lula in the STF (Federal Supreme Court), that he repudiated “impunity”.

Also weighing against him was the fact that he was the commander of Aman (Military Academy of Agulhas Negras) in 2014, when Bolsonaro took advantage of the end of a graduation to make a political campaign to the cadets.

Despite the parts considered by the PT unattractive in the curriculum, the general built a good relationship with Fernando Henrique Cardoso when he was his assistant in the Presidency, which helped to break resistance. He is still recognized by PT interlocutors as a legalist and moderate.

Since taking charge, Tomás has adopted a different stance from his predecessor. His first decision was to negotiate with former President Jair Bolsonaro’s (PL) aide-de-camp, Lieutenant Colonel Mauro Cid, the suspension of his appointment to command an elite army troop in Goiânia (GO).

Arruda’s resistance to finding a solution for Cid’s situation, investigated by the PF (Federal Police) and indicted in two investigations, was the final straw for his dismissal.

Tomás also articulated to anticipate the change in command of the BGP (Presidential Guard Battalion), which took place at the end of January, and the leadership of the Planalto Military Command.

The two functions deal directly with the security of the Planalto Palace, and their commanders were criticized by Lula and ministers for attacks against the seats of power on January 8.

Upon assuming the role, Tomás also pledged to move forward with investigations against military personnel who have participated in coup acts and to seek accountability.

In this sense, the commander had an agenda with a series of important figures from the Judiciary and the Military Public Ministry in recent weeks, such as the President of the STF, Minister Rosa Weber, Minister Mauro Campbell (Superior Court of Justice), Minister Paulo Dias de Moura Ribeiro (STJ), deputy attorney Marcelo Weitzel Rabello de Souza (Military Public Ministry) and the attorney general of Military Justice, Antônio Pereira Duarte.

Tomás also ordered the generals who make up the High Command of the Army to reinforce communication with the troops, to maintain control over the entire chain of command and purge possible ideas that promote insubordination of officers amid politicization and successive changes of command. .