Defence is a sensitive issue for every country and therefore each country has its own specific context that is heavily interrelated with the other aspects of the socio-economical and political life of it. That is the reason why one should study the broader political status quo of Brazil, if he would like to extract some positive conclusions about the future of the Brazilian armed forces and aerospace and defence industry.

Almost a year after his election in 2006, President Luiz Inacio da Silva, directed the creation of a new National Strategic Defense Plan (NSDP). The plan was published in December 2008 and the President highlighted at a ceremony at the Presidential Palace, his purpose to “treat the armed forces as seriously as they deserve. It will serve to modernize equipment, armoured vehicles, ships and armament”. Additionally, “It will reorganize the three forces and restructure the defence industry.” Through this plan the President described the way through which the country will harness its military power to achieve its strategic objectives.

The aforementioned plan should be examined under the context that the armed forces could be the forefront of the socio-economical transformation that the Brazilian society is going through the last decades. The emphasis on transforming Brazil’s military must be understood in the larger context of Brazil’s political, economic, and diplomatic ascendency and aspirations. The performance of the Brazilian economy is interconnected with the expansion of the military. Accordingly, we should assume that the strong and quick recovery that the country has mounted from the global financial crisis is the brightest hope for the Brazilian armed forces and its expansion.