The Brazilian Army transformation process a study on the reflections of the knowledge age

Abstract

The Age of Knowledge, as we understand this new moment of our generation, has been a constant worrying factor for organizations, making them unceasingly look for ways to manage a huge range of information, seeking to analyze, transform them in knowledge and actions. The Brazilian Army (EB) has sought to adapt to this new moment, seeking to empower its staff and rediscussing its paradigms. To this end, it has started a broad debate about its transformation process. In presenting this institution, some central characteristics will be highlighted, namely: the number of approximately 200,000 (two hundred thousand) members, the large number of military organizations, about 650 (six hundred and fifty), the high turnover of career personnel and the discipline and hierarchy as fundamental principles of organizational culture. The Brazilian society has demanded from the State a strong performance in several areas, especially in security, infrastructure and social actions. It is up to the Institutions to seek answers to these needs, characterized, among others, as public order, border protection, engineering works. and support for natural disasters. Alongside these disturbing challenges, it is believed that Brazil's new international protagonist situation will be accompanied by new demands in various areas, from economic to defense. In this new context, military institutions must be prepared for the new challenges, which are more agile and responsive to the needs of the population and the global aspirations of this new state. The purpose of this article is to contribute to the debate on the strategic actions that the Brazilian Army has been conducting to achieve its transformation and how it should be structured and related to meet the new demands of Defense in the 21st century.