Walter Souza Braga Netto

Walter Souza Braga Netto (born 11 March 1957) is a Brazilian army general of the Brazilian Army. He is the current Chief of Staff of the Presidency. Braga was Commander of the Eastern Military Command and, until 31 December 2018, Federal Interventor in the Public Security of the state of Rio de Janeiro.[1]

Walter Souza Braga Netto
Chief of Staff of the Presidency
Incumbent
Assumed office 18 February 2020
President	Jair Bolsonaro
Preceded by	Onyx Lorenzoni
Chief of Staff of the Brazilian Army
In office 29 March 2019 – 18 February 2020
Minister	Fernando Azevedo e Silva
Commander	Edson Leal Pujol
Preceded by	Paulo Humberto Cesar de Oliveira
Succeeded by	Marcos Antonio Amaro dos Santos
Federal Interventor in Public Security of Rio de Janeiro
In office 16 February 2018 – 1 January 2019
President	Michel Temer
Governor	Luiz Fernando Pezão Francisco Dornelles
Preceded by	Office established
Succeeded by	Office abolished
Personal details
Born	11 March 1957 Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
Military service
Allegiance	Brazil
Branch/service	Brazilian Army
Years of service	1975–present
Rank	Army general
Commands	Staff of the Brazilian Army Eastern Military Command 1st Military Region 1st Regiment of Combat Cars

Military career

Enlisted on 17 February 1975, joined Academia Militar das Agulhas Negras (AMAN) where, on 14 December 1978, he was declared Officer Aspirant. Braga was promoted to 2nd Lieutenant on 31 August 1979, to 1st Lieutenant on 25 December 1980 and to Captain on 25 December 1984.

High officer

As Lieutenant colonel, he was assistant of Sub-Secretariat of Programs and Project of the Secretariat of Strategic Affairs of the Presidency of the Republic. On 2 February 2001, he was nominated Cabinet Officer of then Army Commander, Gleuber Vieira.

On 9 July 2001, Braga was nominated Commander of the 1st Regiment of Combat Cars (1° RCC), still headquartered in Rio de Janeiro. He was promoted to Colonel on 17 December 2001.[2]

He was nominated Defence and Army Attaché to the Brazilian Embassy in Poland, position he held from 1 February 2005 to 1 February 2007.

General officer

Promoted to Brigadier general in November 2009, he was nominated Staff-Chief of the Western Military Command on 23 November.

In 2011, he was designated military attaché of the Army to the Brazilian Embassy in the United States, also accredited to Canada.[3]

On 31 March 2013, he was promoted to Divisional general. On 21 August, he was nominated General Coordinated of the Special Advisory of the Olympic and Paralympic Games Rio 2016.[4] On 25 November 2015, Walter Braga became commander of the 1st Military Region, leaving the Coordination.

On 31 July 2016, he was promoted to Army general and nominated Commander of the Eastern Military Command.[5][6]

On 16 February 2018, General Braga Netto was nominated Federal Interventor in the Public Security of Rio de Janeiro by President Michel Temer, position he held until the end of the year.[7]

On 29 March 2019, took office as Staff-Chief of the Army.

On 12 February 2020, he was invited by President Jair Bolsonaro for the position of Chief of Staff of the Presidency.[8]

COVID-19 pandemic

On May 26, 2020, a report from Reuters revealed that as the Health Ministry of Brazil began taking preventative measures against the COVID-19 pandemic on March 13, Bolsonaro intervened and scaled back their procedures within 24 hours. By March 16, Bolsonaro discreetly shifted power from the ministry to Braga Netto's Casa Civil, with the given reason being that "the pandemic 'transcended' public health".[9]

In August 2020, Braga Netto was diagnosed with COVID-19.[10]

References

1. Abrantes, Talita (16 February 2018). "Quem é o general que vai comandar a intervenção federal no RJ". Exame (in Portuguese). Retrieved 12 February 2020.
2. "Boletim do Exército 51/2001" (in Portuguese). Secretaria-Geral do Exército. 21 December 2001: 176. Retrieved 12 February 2020. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
3. "Aditância do Exército nos Estados Unidos da América e Canadá - Passagem de Função" (in Portuguese). Exército Brasileiro. Retrieved 12 February 2020.
4. "Interventor federal que atuará no RJ foi um dos responsáveis pela segurança durante a Olimpíada" (in Portuguese). G1. 16 February 2018. Retrieved 12 February 2020.
5. "General Braga Netto assume o Comando Militar do Leste" (in Portuguese). Ministério da Defesa. 23 September 2016. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
6. "General de Exército Braga Netto é o novo Comandante Militar do Leste" (in Portuguese). Comando Militar do Leste. 26 September 2016. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
7. Venturini, Lilian (19 February 2018). "Quem é o general Braga Netto, interventor na segurança do Rio" (in Portuguese). Nexo Jornal. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
8. Gielow, Igor (12 February 2020). "Bolsonaro convida general que liderou intervenção no RJ para a Casa Civil". Folha de S. Paulo (in Portuguese). Retrieved 13 February 2020.
9. Eisenhammer, Stephen; Stargardter, Gabriel (26 May 2020). "Special Report: Bolsonaro brought in his generals to fight coronavirus. Brazil is losing the battle". São Paulo/Rio de Janeiro. Reuters. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
10. Feitoza, Cézar (3 August 2020). "Braga Netto está com Covid-19". O Antagonista (in Portuguese). Mare Clausum Publicações. Retrieved 28 November 2020.