Armed Forces and Cold War: a study about the Curso de Estado-Maior e Comando das Forças Armadas (CEMCFA), of the Escola Superior de Guerra (ESG), 1953-1964

• Grant number: 25/03603-5
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Post-doctor
• Start date: September 01, 2025
• End date: August 31, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Political Science - International Politics
• Principal Investigator: Samuel Alves Soares
• Grantee: Thiago da Costa Amado
• Supervisor: Benjamin Arthur Cowan
• Host Institution: Instituto de Políticas Públicas e Relações Internacionais (IPPRI). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de São Paulo. São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego), United States
• Associated to the scholarship: 24/01402-0 - Armed Forces and Cold War: a study about the Curso de Estado-Maior e Comando das Forças Armadas (CEMCFA), of the Escola Superior de Guerra (ESG), 1953-1964, BP.PD

Abstract

The research presented here aims to analyze, discuss and investigate the ways in which, between 1953 and 1964, the Curso de Estado-Maior e Comando das Forças Armadas (CEMCFA), at Escola Superior de Guerra (ESG), organized the process of training, instruction and professionalization of what was considered to be a military elite, prepared to act in accordance with the demands of the Cold War. From the understanding of a broader strategic role of Escola, we understand that the Course become a relevant place for military training, oriented towards the new objectives, arising from the reorganization of Armed Forces that took place, since the post-war period, to meet to the needs of that Cold War moment. As an Escola's work front, CEMCFA become central to thinking about and developing a new military professional profile: a profile that had, as its purpose, the training high-ranking military personnel, trained to operate according to premises of "security" and "development", considered essential for fighting Cold War, which, according to this understanding, was a Total Cold War. It is worth highlighting that during our period of study, these military personnel were key actors: they held positions in State bureaucracy and were essential in defining national politics. Through a transnational approach, anchored in national and international archives collections, largely unpublished, we think that our work can contribute to deepening understanding about ESG and its relationship with the Cold War context, helping to shed light on the mechanisms that led to the country's insertion into the post-war world order, as well as the decisive participation of members of the Armed Forces in this process, which involved close coordination with the US military. (AU)