Eleven officers from Marinha do Brasil (Brazilian navy) and Corpo de Fuzileiros Navais (Brazilian marine corps) visited the future amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6) while operating off the coast of Brazil, Aug. 1-5.
The program provided an opportunity for the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps team to interact and train with Brazilian naval forces, promoting and building on an already strong partnership.
Each Brazilian officer was paired with a “running mate,” a U.S. Navy officer of equal pay grade, who escorted them around the ship between evolutions conducted throughout the visit.
Objectives for the riders were laid out in a tailored personnel qualification standard (PQS) with an emphasis on the surface navy, aviation and Marine Corps. In order to complete the PQS, ship riders went on tours of different compartments and areas of the ship and experienced various evolutions, such as flight operations, a general quarters drill, the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program, standing a U.S. Navy watch and other.
The Brazilian riders also had the chance to interact with the U.S. Marines while on their visit, tour light armored vehicles and view various ground combat weapons displays.
America’s officers will visit a Brazilian ship in the coming days with the hopes of expanding on the lessons learned from this trip.