U.S. designates Brazil as major non-NATO ally

U.S. President Donald Trump designated Brazil as a major non-NATO ally, opening doors to further military cooperation with the South American country.

U.S President Donald Trump delivers remarks to commemorate the 400th Anniversary of the First Representative Legislative Assembly following a tour of the Jamestown Settlement Museum on July 30, 2019, in Williamsburg, Virginia. [Photo: Shealah Craighead via ZUMA Wire via IC]

In a memo released late Wednesday, Trump made good on a previous promise to make Brazil the second country in South America after Argentina a major non-NATO ally.

Trump announced his intention to upgrade the status of the U.S.-Brazil security relationship during his meeting with visiting Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro in March in Washington.

The designation would give Brazil preferential access to certain kinds of U.S. military assistance, including purchasing excess defense articles and participating in cooperative defense research and development projects.