Tomás Miguel Miné Ribeiro Paiva (born 29 September 1960) is a Brazilian army general, incumbent commander of the

Brazilian Army The Brazilian Army (; EB) is the branch of the Brazilian Armed Forces responsible, externally, for defending the country in eminently terrestrial operations and, internally, for guaranteeing law, order and the constitutional branches, subordina ...

Biography

Born in São Paulo, Paiva began his military career in 1975, when he joined the Brazilian Army Preparatory School of Cadets in

Campinas Campinas (, ''Plains'' or ''Meadows'') is a Brazilian Municipalities of Brazil, municipality in São Paulo (state), São Paulo State, part of the country's Southeast Region, Brazil, Southeast Region. According to the 2020 estimate, the city's popul ...

and was declared

officer candidate Officer candidate or officer aspirant (OA) is a rank in some militaries of the world that is an appointed position while a person is in training to become an Officer (armed forces), officer. More often than not, an officer candidate was a civilia ...

in 1981. He acted in a mission of the Army in

Haiti Haiti, officially the Republic of Haiti, is a country on the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and south of the Bahamas. It occupies the western three-eighths of the island, which it shares with the Dominican ...

as Undercommander of the Peacekeeping Infantry Battalion and was Commander of the Peacekeeping Forces of Operation Archangel VI in Penha and Alemão Complexes in

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

, in 2012. Paiva also commanded the Presidential Guard Battalion in

Brasília Brasília ( ; ) is the capital city, capital of Brazil and Federal District (Brazil), Federal District. Located in the Brazilian highlands in the country's Central-West Region, Brazil, Central-West region, it was founded by President Juscelino ...

and was aide to the President during

Fernando Henrique Cardoso Fernando Henrique Cardoso (; born 18 June 1931), also known by his initials FHC (), is a Brazilian sociologist, professor, and politician who served as the 34th president of Brazil from 1 January 1995 to 1 January 2003. He was the first Brazi ...

presidency and Brazilian Military Aide to the

Ecuadorian Army The Ecuadorian Army () is the land component of the Ecuadorian Armed Forces. Its 25,650 active soldiers are deployed in relation to its military doctrine. The contemporary Ecuadorian Army incorporates many jungle and special forces infantry un ...

. Tomás was also head of the Army Command Staff in Brasília, when general Eduardo Villas Bôas was the Commander and commanded the 5th Army Division in

Curitiba Curitiba () is the capital and largest city in the state of Paraná (state), Paraná in Southern Brazil. The city's population was 1,773,718 , making it the List of cities in Brazil by population, eighth most populous city in Brazil and the larg ...

. General Tomás was also commander of the 11th Mechanized Infantry Brigade in Campinas, of the

Agulhas Negras Military Academy The Military Academy of Agulhas Negras (, AMAN – named after the Agulhas Negras summit) is the biggest school of formation of combatant officers of the Brazilian Army. It originated in 1792 with the creation of the Royal Academy of Artillery, ...

in Resende, Rio de Janeiro and the Southeastern Military Command in

São Paulo São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...

Military awards

* - Order of Military Merit (Grand Cross) * - Order of Defence Merit (Grand Cross) * - Order of Naval Merit (Grand Cross) * - Order of Aeronautical Merit (Grand Cross) * BRA OMJM Alta Distincao BAR

- Order of Military Judiciary Merit (High Distinction)

References

, - , - 1960 births Living people Brazilian generals People from São Paulo {{Brazil-mil-bio-stub