1º Batalhão de Forças Especiais

History

The Battalion was initially formed in 1957 as a jungle rescue unit. However, in 1968 it was reorganized as a special forces unit. In 1983 the unit was expanded and placed under the parachute infantry brigade structure.

In 1991, elements of the 1st BFEsp along with participated in Operation Traira, an action taken by the Brazilian Army in response to an attack made in February by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia against a semi-permanent army position in the Taraíra River. BFEsp soldiers killed seven FARC soldiers, imprisoned an unspecified amount and recovered military equipment stolen during the original February 1991 ambush.

In November 1991, this operation was followed by operation Perro Loco, intended to dissuade FARC activity on the Brazilian side of the border.

During MINUSTAH, a force of around 20 men from the 1st Special Forces Battalion and 1st Commando Actions Battalion made up the Destacamento de Operações de Paz (Peace Operations Detachment) or Dopaz, a special operations unit responsible for high-risk missions such as special reconnaissance and direct action against leaderships of Haitian gangs, as well as leading the UN raids on neighborhoods such as Bel Air, Cité Militaire and Cité Soleil from 2005 to 2007. According to Brazilian SF General Sergio Schwingel, Dopaz's role in Haiti led to the UN creating a doctrine for the usage of special forces in peacekeeping operations worldwide.

Role

The Battalion's mission is similar to that of the Green Beret units; however, because they have the CT mission, they have modified their organization to more closely follow Britain's Special Air Service and American's Delta Force. The SF Battalion falls within the Army's Special Operations Command and is located in Goiânia.

The battalion is capable of conducting its missions independently from or in conjunction with conventional forces. Battalion troops are trained in jungle warfare at the Army's CIGS jungle warfare school and in amphibious, mountain warfare, airborne, airmobile and HAHO/HALO operations. They are also prepared for long-range reconnaissance in addition to their CT operations.

Equipment

References

References

1. (20 September 2017). "Dopaz: conheça a tropa de elite que o Brasil levou para pacificar as favelas violentas do Haiti". g1.
2. (22 September 2017). "Militares entram na Rocinha para conter a guerra do tráfico". g1.
3. "Brazilian Army's 1st Special Forces Battalion".
4. (2017-06-28). "Foreign Military Studies Office Publications - Guerrilla in The Brazilian Amazon".
5. (2012-03-16). "TOA GUERRILHA NA AMAZÔNIA: A Experiência do Rio Traíra - Parte 3".
6. "Military Power Review - Tropas de Elite - Batalhão de Forças Especiais do Brasil".
7. "1º Batalhão de Forças Especiais {{!}} PDF {{!}} Comandos (soldados) {{!}} Forças especiais".
8. (2016-06-02). "wiw_sa_brazil - worldinventory".
9. (2017-10-04). "Recent images of Rio's drug war -".
10. Miller, David. (2002). "The illustrated directory of special forces". MBI.