RIO DE JANEIRO, Feb. 23 (Xinhua) -- An army general will become the new public security secretary of the state of Rio de Janeiro in southeast Brazil, local media reported Thursday.
According to local TV channel Globo, the nomination of General Richard Fernandez Nunes is expected to be confirmed next week. It's the first time since 1999 that an Armed Forces officer has been named for the position.
Nunes currently serves as commander of the Brazilian Army Command and Staff School, an institution where colonel-rank officers undergo training before they get promoted to generals.
The federal intervention, making the army responsible for security in crime-plagued Rio till the end of 2018, was passed Tuesday by Congress following its approval by Brazilian President Michel Temer.
Security in Rio is currently under the command of Armed Forces General Walter Braga Netto. Though the government said the federal intervention is not a military intervention, the measure will have an army officer at the helm and nominate more army officers.
