Born in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. His late father ran an import business. His mother is a homemaker. One older brother, two younger sisters. Attended college at the Brazilian military academy, ColΘgio Militar do Rio de Janeiro (CMRJ), 1977-81. Served two terms of duty with the regular Brazilian army before being recruited into the Counter-Terrorist Detachment (CTD) of the 1st Special Forces Battalion in 1987. Since 1995 he has commanded one of CTD's three squadrons. He has cross-trained with the U.S. "Delta Force", Chile's Unidad Anti-Terroristes (UAT), Agentina's Brigada Especial Operativa Halcon, and Columbia's Agrupacion De Fuerzas Especiales Urbanas (AFEU). In 1997 he was one of a group of senior Brazilian CTD operators who assisted the Peruvian armed forces in ending the occupation of the Japanese embassy by the Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement (MRTA). Married since 1985. His wife and two daughters live in Rio de Janeiro.
Noronha has spent the majority of his military career as a CT operator. He is well-known in the CT community, particularly in North and South America, and has a reputation as a stern taskmaster. Although he has conducted actions in a wide variety of terrains and circumstances, he is particularly proficient in jungle operations and long-range intelligence gathering. In combat situations he is extremely aggressive and he expects the same from any team that serves under him. He has no sense of humor and considers it unprofessional in others. His only passion in life (aside from his work and his family) is classical music and opera.
