Minister of Defense participated in the opening of Mecodex 2026, an exercise that aims to integrate responses to natural disasters
The Minister of Defense, said this Monday (May 4, 2026) that “the Armed Forces provide an enormous service to this country”. According to him, the military was involved in major climate events that occurred in Brazil in recent years. He cited the cases of Rio Grande do Sul, Pantanal and the coast of São Paulo.
The statement was made during the opening of Mecodex 2026 (Exercise of the Disaster Cooperation Mechanism), held at the Escola Superior de Defesa, in Brasília. The meeting aims to integrate civil and military capabilities in responding to natural disasters, in addition to counting on the participation of international and national representatives.
This is the first time that Brazil hosts Mecodex, which is in its 5th edition. The meeting takes place from May 4th to 7th, in the federal capital. During the period, training will be carried out on planning, logistics, mobility and operations command, which are essential in crisis situations.
The exercises must simulate 2 natural disaster scenarios: drought in the Amazon and large fires in the Pantanal.
Different institutions participate in the initiative – Sedec (National Secretariat for Civil Protection and Defense), ABC (Brazilian Cooperation Agency) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the National Center for Prevention and Combat of Forest Fires, from Ibama, as well as other national and international institutions.
The opening of the exercise takes place after in the last few days. More than 3,000 people were left homeless or displaced in Pernambuco and Paraíba. The storms left 8 people dead until the publication of this report, and directly or indirectly affect more than 18,000 people.
