TONELERO BATTALION: Predicting the Unpredictable MARCOS OMMATI/DIÁLOGO | PHOTOS: BRAZILIAN MARINE CORPS
The Marine Corps Special Operations Battalion is one of Brazil’s most prestigious specialized units in the fight against terror.
In the 2016 drama 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi, a group of contractors hired to protect the security of a CIA installation in Libya is tasked with defending a U.S. diplomatic mission following a terrorist attack. Based on the true events of 2012, the movie hit close to home for Brazilian Marine Corps Sergeant Major Givanildo Santos, who at the time was deployed to the Embassy of Brazil in Benghazi. “The United States had already removed their diplomatic staff, and so had the countries of the European Union. Some countries, including Brazil, were still there. A day after our departure, Libya closed its borders. However, we managed to safely remove our ambassador and his staff,” Sgt. Maj. Givanildo said. Giva, as he is affectionately known among friends, was deployed with the Tonelero Battalion, the Brazilian Marine Corps special operations unit. “I am currently the Tonelero operations deputy, but at one point I was responsible for training members of the Special Rescue and Recovery Group [GERR, in Portuguese],” Sgt. Maj. Givanildo said. “I was then invited to be a security course instructor at Brazilian embassies [tasked with training Marine Corps officers and noncommissioned officers to take on security deployment roles in support of diplomatic missions abroad. The Brazilian Navy’s Naval Battalion Police Company conducts the course]. I was in this role [as instructor of the Police Company] for a year when the urgent mission to handle the security of the Embassy of Brazil in Libya came up, in light of what had happened to the U.S. personnel in Benghazi,” he said.
Training for the unexpected
Although Sgt. Maj. Givanildo’s experience is out of the ordinary, it doesn’t come as a surprise to the members of the Tonelero Battalion. “We work and train for the unexpected,” said Marine Corps Colonel Stewart da Paixão Gomes, commander of the Tonelero Battalion. According to Col. Stewart, Tonelero was created in 1971 to meet the naval force’s needs during war operations. “The battalion was originally created for direct action, since the Marine Corps already had a reconnaissance company dedicated to amphibious operations.” The Tonelero Battalion originally reported to the Support Troop. As special operations gained more relevance due to their significant results with limited means, speed, and extreme precision to mitigate www.dialogo-americas.com
collateral damage and enable intervention at all levels of combat, the decision was made to have the battalion report directly to the Fleet Marine Squad (FFE, in Portuguese). FFE originated after World War II, when the Brazilian Navy (MB, in Portuguese) became a modern force with amphibious capabilities. Having Tonelero report to FFE followed a worldwide trend of increased appreciation for special operations. “Over the past few decades, we came to grasp the importance of highly specialized troops that can carry out tasks under challenging circumstances,” said Marine Corps Lieutenant General Paulo Martino Zuccaro, FFE commander. “As such, a more direct connection between the special operations units and force commanders within MB resulted in the Marine Corps Special Operations Battalion falling under FFE.”
Tonelero structure
Tonelero counts with three special operations companies. The first focuses on long-range reconnaissance; the second carries out directaction operations, while the third provides GERR with special operations commandos to execute facility recovery and hostage rescue operations. The battalion also has the Special Operations Support Squad. “The squad’s main task is to provide combat support services to amphibious command groups through activities such as parachute rigging and equipment maintenance [boats, outboard engines, diving equipment, etc.], and support training activities, organizing land teams for parachute jumps and administrative teams to harvest inflatable boats and divers, preparing and executing airdrops, and other necessary activities for the battalion’s training and operations,” Col. Stewart said. “Our days are atypical, because we have a different, very fast-paced routine,” said Brazilian Marine Corps Master Gunnery Marcelo Barros de Abreu, of the Tonelero Battalion. “Today, for instance, [early October 2018], we have less than one third of the personnel [in house]. Our men are in missions in Rio de Janeiro [to support the federal intervention and guarantee law and order], in Operation Formosa [which seeks to maintain FFE service members’ rapid response], which is ultimately a typical atypical day for us.”
Lesson learned
During the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 Olympic Games, both in Brazil, the Tonelero Battalion’s headquarters seemed rather vacant as well. The unit was a crucial part of the counter-terrorism structure set up to keep peace during major events taking place around the country. For Marine Corps Major Saulo Xavier de Pina Filho, operations officer with the Tonelero Battalion, interoperability was the biggest take-away from these events. “It was great to work in unison with members of other armed forces, the Federal Police, and even foreign security agents. It made us feel special knowing that our training and capabilities compare to those of any other country.” The feeling seems to be shared among members of the Tonelero Battalion. “I feel special for being part of a unit known as a brotherhood of warriors,” said Marine Corps Sergeant Carlos Mendonça Martins, GERR operator. “In the past, the Greeks used coercion as a weapon of war, and the shield they formed served to protect their teammate on their side. This is how it is in the special operations units. In combat situations, the life of our teammate is more important than our own. And our teammate thinks the same way, which strengthens us in the theater of operations.” Fórum das Américas
DIÁLOGO 67