Retired Brazilian officer keeps New York partnership going strong

Photo By Maj. Michael O'Hagan | Brazilian Army Col. Anderson Pedreira Silva, and Army Sgt Major Robert Jenks, New York Army National Guard, pose with a New York City firefighter on board one of the city's fire boats during a National Guard State Partnership Program visit to the Fire Department New York's Randall's Island training site in New York City on October 20 2021. Pedreira Silva has now retired from Brazil's army but will continue to work as a civilian on the Brazilian army General Staff where he will coordinate State Partnership Program activities as one of his duties. (U.S. Air National Guard Photo by Maj. Michael O’Hagan)  

LATHAM, NY, UNITED STATES

02.15.2022

Story by Maj. Michael O'Hagan 

New York National Guard

LATHAM, N.Y. – The New York National Guard state partnership with Brazil will benefit because a Brazilian army officer who helped launch the relationship will continue coordinating events as a Brazilian army civilian, according to Maj. David Myones, the officer who runs the New York partnership program.

Retired Col. Anderson Pedreira Silva, a 37-year military veteran, played a key role in getting the training partnership between the Brazilian military and the New York National Guard organized in 2019, Myones explained.

Pedreira Silva was on the first Brazilian military delegation to meet with New York National Guard leaders. His mission was to understand how the New York National Guard works, so he could propose joint events, he explained.

The opportunity to continue his relationship with the New York National Guard, planning activities for future engagement, was a welcome surprise, he said.

“I was about to completely retire,” Pedreira Silva said, but he welcomed the chance to serve the Brazilian Army General Staff in his new role.

“It was an honor for me,” he said.

Now, as a “strategic planning analyst” for the Brazilian Army general staff, he will continue working on State Partnership Program issues. He will play a major role in staff talks between U.S. Army leaders and their Brazilian counterparts when joint training, to include state partnership events, are discussed.
This means the personal relationship remains in place, which makes it easier to coordinate exchanges, Myones said.

The National Guard State Partnership Program pairs a state National Guard with the military of another nation to build relationships. New York has had a State Partnership Program relationship with South Africa since 2003 and entered into an agreement with Brazil’s military in March 2019.

Since August of 2021, the New York National Guard and Brazilian Army and Air Force have engaged in ten exchange events . These included a combat search and rescue exercise in Brazil, a cyber warfare expert exchange, an exchange of remotely piloted aircraft crews and New York Air Guard C-17 support for American troops at a Brazilian Army exercise.
Pedreira Silva organized the events involving the Brazilian army.

“This type of exchange of best practices and ideas helps increase our interoperability, a common operating language and understanding between the U.S. and Brazilian militaries, further strengthening our partnership,” Myones said.

Pedreira Silva played a key role in allocating slots for New York National Guard Soldiers and Airmen at Brazil’s jungle warfare school.

Pedreira Silva also participated in a visit of Brazilian chemical and biological warfare experts to New York City in October of 2021. The team observed a major training exercise being held in the city and met with the New York National Guard’s 24th Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Team and New York City firefighters.

These kinds of soldier-to-soldier meetings, as well as high-level meetings are critical to the Brazilian-American relationship, Pedreira Silva said.

“As the two largest democracies of the Americas, we can develop ways to help other countries and our people with our experiences,” Pedreira Silva said.

• Date Taken: 02.15.2022
• Date Posted: 02.16.2022 13:07
• Story ID: 414680
• Location: LATHAM, NY, US