A special defence force of about 2,000 soldiers has begun operating in the Deodoro region of Rio de Janeiro, where the second largest venue cluster for the Olympic and Paralympic Games in located. The troops, who took up their posts on Friday (8 July), will help ensure public safety during the Rio 2016 Olympic Games from 5 to 21 August and the Paralympic Games from 7 to 18 September.

The parachute brigade's base in Deodoro is located next to the site where rugby sevens, hockey, equestrian and other high-profile events will be held during the Games.

The troops will operate across Rio de Janeiro. According to a press release from the Brazilian army, their duties will include protecting key infrastructure such as roads, railway stations and power networks. They will also patrol the main tourist regions in the city.

On Wednesday, defence minister Raul Jungmann called up an extra 3,000 soldiers into the giant security operation for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. In total, about 41,000 armed forces personnel will ensure public safety during the Games, with more than 21,000 in Rio itself and the rest in cities where Olympic football matches will be held.

 Defence minister Raul Jungmann saw at first hand some of the brigade's equipment (Photo: Brazilian Army)

In addition to the armed forces personnel, 47,000 police will be on duty in Rio during the Games.

On Tuesday, the Força Nacional, which combines various different Brazilian public security forces, officially assumed control of security at the venues for the Games in a ceremony at Barra Olympic Park.

 The brigade's weaponry includes Russian-made portable surface-to-air missiles (Photo: Brazilian Army)