Objective/Context:

The article analyzes the objectives and main attributions of the Brazilian armed forces by the confrontation of their internal and external dimensions with the reality of the military institutions.

Methodology:

Through the analysis of defense documents and secondary sources, the case study discusses the three primary purposes of military institutions: the defense of the homeland, the use of the military in favor of foreign policy, and the employment within the country.

Conclusions:

From the evidence, we conclude that, despite the country’s economic size and the ambition of the documents, the achievement of the objectives faces constant challenges. Budgetary impositions constantly compromise large projects aimed at the external dimension of defense, the connection between defense and foreign policy is evidenced only in certain moments of national politics, and the recurrent employment of the military in operations guaranteeing law and order and subsidiary activities present as a dysfunction of the main objectives of the armed forces domestically.

Originality:

This study stands out for the parallel between the three main destinations of the Brazilian armed forces from the defense documents and the reality; hence, it differs from existing works that address one specific destination or dimension, or part of them.