With the purpose of understanding the Brazilian nuclear-powered submarine program, the article starts from the idea that, in certain cases, the adoption of a given military technology can bring potentially important effects on politics. It begins with a brief history of the nuclear submarine and tries to offer a basic knowledge about this kind of equipment. Presenting as well a succinct history of the Brazilian program since its conception in the end of the 1970s, it shows that, although having gone through difficult times, the project survived the military regime and the budget cuts of the Collor (1990-1192) and FHC (1995-2003) administrations, being taken up again as a strategic project by President Lula (2003-2010). Finally, the article offers and examines the opinion of civilian experts on the program.
Defense; Strategy; Armed Forces; Brazilian Navy; Military Technology
