CISM President strengthens ties with ICMM during Pan-American Regional Assembly in Brazil

BRASÍLIA (BRA) – CISM President Colonel Nilton Gomes Rolim Filho participated in the Pan-American Regional Assembly of the International Committee of Military Medicine (ICMM), held at the Brazilian Defence College in Brasília on 16–17 June 2026. The event brought together senior military health leaders, medical experts, and delegates from across the Americas to discuss current and emerging challenges in military medicine, operational health, resilience, and international cooperation.

As a special guest of the Assembly, Colonel Rolim Filho delivered a keynote presentation entitled “CISM and ICMM: Military Sport and Operational Health”, highlighting the growing convergence between military medicine and military sport as complementary pillars of military readiness and international cooperation.

Addressing delegates from across the Pan-American region, the CISM President emphasized that modern military readiness depends not only on equipment and doctrine, but above all on the human factor. His presentation explored how physical fitness, mental resilience, operational health, and human performance are increasingly interconnected and how both CISM and ICMM contribute to strengthening these dimensions through their respective missions.

The presentation underscored the strong institutional links already existing between the two organizations, recalling the Memorandum of Understanding signed between CISM and ICMM and outlining new opportunities for cooperation in areas such as health promotion, sports medicine, human performance, scientific research, education, and knowledge exchange. Particular attention was given to the potential for enhanced collaboration within the Americas, where armed forces face many common challenges ranging from disaster response and medical evacuation to mental health, resilience, and sustained operational readiness.

On the sidelines of the Assembly, Colonel Rolim Filho held constructive discussions with Major General Pierre Neirinckx (BEL), Secretary General of ICMM, regarding future joint initiatives between the two organizations. Their exchanges focused on practical avenues to strengthen cooperation through shared scientific activities, participation in each other’s events, expert exchanges, and initiatives linking military medicine, physical readiness, and human performance.

The meeting reaffirmed the shared conviction that military sport and military medicine, while operating in different domains, ultimately serve a common objective: building healthier, more resilient, and more capable armed forces while fostering trust and cooperation among nations.

“If ICMM was created to bring military health services closer together and CISM was created to bring military personnel together through sport, then both organizations contribute to the same strategic objective: strengthening trust, readiness, and cooperation among nations,” said Colonel Nilton Gomes Rolim Filho. “The future of military cooperation will increasingly depend on our ability to connect health, human performance, science, and international friendship.”

Throughout the Assembly, participants attended high-level lectures and panel discussions addressing regional health challenges, including civil-military cooperation during crises, medical support in remote environments, aeromedical evacuation, public health preparedness, and responses to biological, nuclear, chemical, and radiological threats. The event also provided a valuable platform for exchanging experiences, strengthening professional networks, and exploring innovative approaches to military healthcare across the Americas.

The participation of the CISM President reflected the Organization’s commitment to expanding cooperation beyond the sporting field and reinforcing the role of sport as a contributor to operational readiness, health promotion, resilience, and international military collaboration.

As both organizations look toward the future, the dialogue initiated in Brasília highlighted a growing recognition that the challenges facing armed forces today require integrated approaches. By combining the expertise of military medicine with the unifying power of military sport, ICMM and CISM continue to demonstrate how international cooperation can contribute to stronger armed forces and lasting friendship among nations.

(Source: CISM Media & Communication Department)