MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Argentina envisions further military developments in southernmost areas

Paleo said Argentina's vision for the 21st century encompassed a view toward the South Atlantic

Argentina has launched a plan to strengthen its military capabilities in the province of Tierra del Fuego, which includes the installation of a mobile radar, the construction of a new naval base, as well as a new Army unit, it was reported Tuesday in Buenos Aires.

Another measure will be an air shuttle between Río Gallegos and Ushuaia and also with Río Grande, operated by Líneas Aéreas del Estado (LADE), with up to two flights a day, five days a week.

Starting 1, a mobile radar RPA (Argentine Primary Radar) will be installed in Río Grande to enhance air space surveillance and control capabilities in the South Atlantic, including the Falkland Islands.

Defence Minister Jorge Taiana also announced the construction of a new integrated naval base in Ushuaia which is to be developed jointly with the Antarctic Logistic Pole carried out by Tierra del Fuego.

The installation of an Army unit in Tierra del Fuego, which could be in Tolhuin (a small town roughly halfway between Ushuaia and Río Grande, is also under consideration, defense sources told Buenos Aires media.

Last week, Armed Forces Joint Command Chief General Juan Martin Paleo, spoke of a “new doctrine” for Defense, with “many objectives” to take care of, and “very scarce financial and human resources.”

Paleo called for “contemplating the extension of the territory as a strength, not a weakness. This extension has to play in our favor so that whoever wants to attack us, with its projection capacity may perhaps gain access to the territory, but his problem will be to stay inside.”

He also spoke of “degrading the aggressor from the greatest distances, seeking to give the combat field a high depth and avoiding the commitment of the scarcely available forces.”

Regarding the Falkland/Malvinas Islands, Paleo insisted that “the recovery of that territory will not be through military means, that is what our country has stated.”

“I must not fall into the innocent analysis of that military enclave of one of the main world powers, occupying our territory. I am thinking about how to defend myself from that,” he added.

The General also pointed out that ”the military presence, the [British] military capacity with fourth-generation aircraft, the training activities and some of a combined nature (with other countries) with nuclear submarines should at least make us adopt defensive precautions regarding that militarily occupied territory.“

Paleo also said at the Armed Forces Joint War College that Argentina ”has limitations in the integration of the territory,“ and highlighted the need ”to advance in the integration of Tierra del Fuego“ and that ”it cannot continue without effective communication,“ meaning that there is no direct land access from mainland Argentina except crossing through Chilean territory, which requires going through two migration checkpoints. That issue would be partially solved by LADE's air shuttle.

The military chief also explained that such an outlook represented ”the vision of the 21st century where a political and strategic issue of extraordinary relevance is the perspective and a view towards the South Atlantic.”

(Source: TN)