Few places illustrate the modern role of the Brazilian army better than Tabatinga, a city of 62,000 on the shared border point between Brazil, Colombia, and Peru. The frontier has not budged since the Portuguese built a now-ruined fort there in the 1700s. But Júlio Nagy, a local commander, has his sights trained on unconventional threats. In February and March his troops intercepted 3.7 tonnes of cannabis. Last year they destroyed an airstrip built by illegal gold miners. Inside a small army-run zoo, garish macaws rescued from animal traffickers squawk intermittently.

The country’s official defence review states that “at present, Brazil has no enemies”. Brazilian strategists say that an insufficiency of military adversaries _______ _______ justify skimping on defence. Criminal gangs operating in border areas can overwhelm civilian police, and in the future Brazil hopes to deter foreigners covetous of its natural resources. New threats require new responses. With 334,000 troops at its disposal, the government has had to find ways to deploy them.

The army’s remit has expanded to police work. Most Brazilians seem unfazed by this trend. Unlike politicians and police officers, servicemen are seen as honest, competent, and kind. Despite the shadow of the dictatorship, confidence rankings of institutions often put the army at the top. Soldiers are trying to adapt to their new role. At a training centre in Campinas, near São Paulo, they are subjected to tear-gas and stun grenades, so they know what such weapons feel like before unleashing them on civilians.

(Adapted from https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2017/07/06/the-brazilian-army-is-turning-into-a-de-facto-police-force)

Brazilian strategists say that an insufficiency of military adversaries _______ _______ justify skimping on defence. (paragraph 2)

To form a negative present statement, the correct words to respectively fill in the blanks are