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This article studies the PROSUB programme, flagship programme of Brazil’s defence policy during the Workers’ Party governments, in power from 2003 to 2016. It analyses the arguments presented by the Brazilian authorities to justify the investments generated by this programme. It explains that these investments are closely linked to Brazil’s defence objectives, i.e. deterrence (to guarantee the country’s territorial integrity and the protection of its natural resources in the South Atlantic, an area of strategic importance), and the links that Brazil wants to strengthen between the defence industry, economic development and technological autonomy.