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Armed Forces of the Argentine Republic

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Armed Forces of the Argentine Republic
Fuerzas Armadas de la República Argentina
Founded29 May 1810
Current form9 September 1948[1]
Service branches
Leadership
Commander-in-chiefPresidentJavier Gerardo Milei
Minister of DefenseLuis Petri
Chief of the Joint General StaffBrigadier GeneralXavier Isaac
Expenditure
Budget$2.9 billion (2022)[2][3]
Industry
Domestic suppliersArgentine defense industry
Foreign suppliersUnited States
France
Germany
Spain
Israel
Brazil
Austria
Russia
Italy
Belgium
Sweden
Turkey
Related articles
HistoryMilitary history of Argentina
Warfare directory of Argentina
Wars involving Argentina
Battles involving Argentina
RanksMilitary ranks of Argentina

TheArmed Forces of the Argentine Republic(Spanish:Fuerzas Armadas de la República Argentina) are the combinedarmed forcesofArgentina.It is controlled by the Commander-in-Chief (thePresident) and a civilianMinister of Defense.In addition to theArmy,NavyandAir Force,there are two security forces, controlled by the Ministry of Security, which can be mobilized in occasion of an armed conflict: theNational Gendarmerie,agendarmerieused to guard borders and places of strategic importance; and theNaval Prefecture,acoast guardused to protect internal major rivers and maritime territory.

Traditionally, Argentina maintains close defense cooperation and military-supply relationships with the United States and to a lesser extent, with Israel, Canada, Germany, France, Spain, Belarus, Italy, and Russia.

As of 2024, the current Chief of the General Staff is the Air Force Brigadier General Xavier Isaac.[4]

History[edit]

See also:Military history of Argentina

The oldest forces of the Argentinian military are the Argentinian Army and the Argentinian Navy, both created in 1810, during theArgentine War of Independence,while the Argentinian Air Force was established in 1945. The Argentine military played a role in the institutional life of the country, during a series of coups d'état that took place in the 20th century.

1955–1963 internal strife[edit]

See also:1963 Argentine Navy revolt

After theRevolución Libertadoracoup that deposed presidentJuan Domingo Perónin 1955, the armed forces split into opposing sectors namedAzules y colorados( "Blues and Reds" ). The fight would end in 1963 with military clashes and the defeat of theredswho were opposed to Perón.

1965 Operacion 90[edit]

Soldiers saluting the flag at the South Pole.

In 1965, the Argentine military conducted a 10-man patrol on Antarctica calledOperación 90under then-Colonel Jorge E. Leal to perform scientific observations and promote Argentina's claim to a portion of the continent.

1975 Counter-insurgency[edit]

Main article:Operativo Independencia

In 1975 the armed forces started a massive operation in theTucumán Provinceto crush theERP(Ejército Revolucionario del Puebloor People's Revolutionary Army) guevarist guerrilla group which attempted to create a "revolutionary foco in this remote and mountainous province, in the north-west of Argentina."

National Reorganization Process[edit]

Main article:National Reorganization Process
See also:Dirty War

The last military dictatorship, theNational Reorganization Process,lasted from 1976 to 1983. AsIsabel Perónwas unable to defeat the terrorist organizations ofMontonerosandERP,the military took power during the1976 Argentine coup d'étatand exterminated the violent communist guerrillas by random detentions, torture or death. The government ofCristina Fernández de Kirchnerthat sympathized withPerón,antagonized the Armed Forces with the justification of the past junta and limited the powers of the armed forced to avoidstate terrorismof the past.

1978 Beagle Conflict[edit]

Main article:Operation Soberania
See also:Argentina–Chile relations

1982 Falklands War[edit]

Main article:Falklands War
Super Étendardwere used in the Falklands War.

On 2 April 1982, Argentine forces invaded the British overseas territory of theFalkland Islands,followed shortly afterwards by the invasion of South Georgia. Britain sent a task force to recover the islands. Argentina surrendered on 14 June. The political effect of the surrender lead to protests against the dictatorship, which hastened its downfall.

1983 transition to democracy[edit]

The democratic government ofRaúl Alfonsínthat took office in 1983 prosecuted the 1970s crimes and made the unprecedented (and only Latin American example)Trial of the Juntasand soon the Army was rocked by uprisings and internal infighting. Far-right sectors of the Army rebelled in theCarapintadas(painted faces) movement. To contain the rebellions, Alfonsín promoted theFull stop lawand theLaw of due obedience.The following president,Carlos Menem,gave the presidentialpardonto the military found guilty in the Trial of the Juntas. It would not be until 1990, when the last military uprising in Argentine history was crushed, that the political conflict within the Army finally subsided.

In January 1989, during thesubversive attack on La Tablada,the Army usedwhite phosphorusin a violation of theGeneva Convention(according to a document presented by the human rights commission of theUnited Nationson January 12, 2001).[5]

Gulf War and 1990s[edit]

Argentina was the only Latin American country to participate in the 1991Gulf Warsending a destroyer and a corvette in first term and a supply ship and another corvette later to participate on the United Nations blockade and sea control effort of the gulf. The success of "Operación Alfil" (English: "Operation Bishop" ) as it was known, with more than 700 interceptions and 25,000 nautical miles (46,000 km) sailed on the operations theatre helped to overcome the so-called "Malvinas syndrome".[citation needed]

From 1990 to 1992, the Baradero-class patrol boats were deployed under UN mandate ONUCA to the Gulf of Fonseca in Central America. In 1994, the three Drummond-class corvettes participated on Operation Uphold Democracy in Haiti.[citation needed]

Also, in the 1990s, Argentine Armed Forces began a close defense cooperation and friendship policy with neighbors Brazil and Chile, with emphasis on fulfillment ofUnited Nationsmandates.

The Argentine military have been reduced both in number and budget, but became more professional, especially afterconscriptionwas abolished by president Menem. The British embargo due to theFalklands War(Spanish:Guerra de las Malvinas) was officially eliminated and Argentina was grantedMajor Non-NATO allystatus by United States PresidentBill Clinton.[6]

Present[edit]

Granaderos,the cavalry unit that, among other feats, followedSan Martínacross theAndesin 1817 to liberateChileandPeru

The modern Argentine Armed Forces are committed to internationalpeacekeepingunder United Nations mandates, humanitarian aid on emergencies relief and support the country's continuous presence atAntarctica.

Democratic governments since 1983 streamlined the military budget and did not approve any large scale equipment purchases. Argentina military spending is one of the lowest of South America[7][8]and as of 2010, its 0.9% ofGDPonly exceedsSuriname[9]Within the defence budget itself funding for training and even basic maintenance was significantly cut, a factor contributing to theaccidental loss of the Argentine submarine San Juanin 2017. The result has been a steady erosion of Argentine military capabilities, with some arguing that Argentina had, by the end of the 2010s, ceased to be a capable military power.[10]

The small-scale capability modernization that Argentina has attempted has been actively opposed by the United Kingdom. In 2019 theArgentine Air Forceand government selected the KoreanKAI FA-50as its interim fighter to replace its aging Falklands-vintage aircraft. However, the deal was cancelled in early 2020 leaving the Air Force without a fighter replacement. British intervention was apparently a key factor in the cancellation with Britain stopping the export of the aircraft incorporating various British components.[11]In October 2020, Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) confirmed that since major components of the aircraft were supplied by the U.K., the aircraft could not be exported to Argentina. Britain similarly blocked the potential sale of Brazilian license-builtSaab Gripenaircraft to Argentina given avionics that were of British origin.[12]

In 2003, for the first time, the Argentine Navy (classified as a major non-NATO ally) interoperated with a United States Navy battlegroup when destroyer ARA Sarandí (D-13) joined the USS Enterprise Carrier Strike Group and Destroyer Squadron 18 as a part of Exercise Solid Step during their tour in the Mediterranean Sea.[citation needed]

On June 12, 2006, PresidentNéstor Kirchnerbrought into force the Defense Law, which had been passed in 1988 as a means to modernize the doctrine of the armed forces and define their role.[citation needed]The law states that the armed forces will only be used against foreign aggression, and reduces the powers of the heads of the armed services, centralizing whole operational and acquisitions decisions under the authority of the Armed Forces Joint General Staff (Spanish:Estado Mayor Conjunto de las Fuerzas Armadas– EMC) emphasizingJointness.[citation needed]

In 2007, an agreement for cooperation in peace operations was signed with France.[13]

A combined Argentinian-Chilean force for futureUnited Nations Mandateswas created.[14]NamedCruz del Sur(English:Southern Cross), the new force began assembly in 2008 with its headquarters alternating between the two countries each year.[15]

In 2009,UNASUR,the South American countries union, created the CDS ( Spanish:Consejo de Defensa Sudamericano(South American Defence council) in order to promote cooperation and transparency between their armed forces[16]

As of 2011, they perform with Chile the PARACACH (Patrulla de Rescate Antártica Combinada Argentina-Chile, Argentine Chilean Antarctic combined search and rescue patrol) with support from the German Space Agency which provided satellite imagery[17]

Structure[edit]

The three branches of the Argentine Armed Forces are under the direct authority of theDefense Ministry,while the Argentine National Gendarmerie and the Argentine Naval Prefecture, as security forces, under the direct authority of the Ministry of Security.

International participation[edit]

Argentina was the only South American country to send warships and cargo planes in 1991 to theGulf WarunderUNmandate and has remained involved inpeacekeepingefforts in multiple locations likeUNPROFORinCroatia/Bosnia,Gulf of Fonseca,UNFICYPinCyprus(where among Army and Marines troops the Air Force provided the UN Air contingent since 1994) andMINUSTAHinHaiti.

UNFICYP was also a precedent in the Latin American military as troops ofBolivia,Brazil,Chile,Paraguay,PeruandUruguayare embedded in the Argentine contingent[18]

Since 1999 and as of June 2006, Argentina is the only Latin American country to maintain troops inKosovoduringSFOR(and laterEUFOR) operations wherecombat engineersof the Argentine Armed Forces are embedded in anItalian brigade.

In 2007, an Argentine contingent including helicopters, boats and water purification plants was sent to helpBoliviaagainst their worst floods in decades.[19]In 2010 the Armed Forces were also involved inHaitiandChilehumanitarian responses after their respective earthquakes.

Argentine military forces formed part of[20]

And as military observers inUNTSO,MINURSO,UNMIL,MONUC,UNMISandUNOCI.

Argentina was also responsible for theWhite Helmetsinitiative.

Gallery[edit]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^Salas, Jorge Marcelo."Bienvenido!!!".fuerzas-armadas.mil.ar.Archived fromthe originalon 2017-10-08.Retrieved2016-08-17.
  2. ^"Military expenditure (Current USD) - Argentina | Data".
  3. ^"El papel de las Fuerzas Armadas".lanacion.ar.16 August 2016. Archived fromthe originalon 8 October 2017.Retrieved19 August2016.
  4. ^"BOLETIN OFICIAL REPUBLICA ARGENTINA - MINISTERIO DE DEFENSA - Decreto 120/2023".boletinoficial.gob.ar.Retrieved2024-01-07.
  5. ^E/CN.4/2001/NGO/98,United Nations,January 12, 2001 - URL accessed on February 9, 2007(in Spanish);ANSAcable quoted by theRaiNews24:See frame on the rightArchived2012-07-30 at theWayback Machine(in Italian).
  6. ^"Overview of U.S. Policy Toward South America and the President's Upcoming Trip to the Region".commdocs.house.gov.
  7. ^"El presupuesto militar argentino, uno de los más bajos de la región".lanacion.ar.
  8. ^"Argentina sólo gasta 80 millones de dólares anuales en armamento.".
  9. ^"El presupuesto para Defensa es el más bajo de la historia".perfil.19 May 2018. Archived fromthe originalon 24 September 2015.Retrieved27 July2010.
  10. ^"Argentina has now ceased to be a capable military power".16 May 2018.
  11. ^"No FA-50s for You! U.K. Bureaucrats Swat Down Argentine Fighter Plan".Forbes.
  12. ^"UK bars sale of South Korean fighter jets for the Argentine air force".
  13. ^Infodefensa, Revista Defensa (20 May 2018)."Noticias de industria de defensa y seguridad en España y América".infodefensa.[permanent dead link]
  14. ^"Avance para la fuerza combinada con Chile".
  15. ^"Destinan $30 millones para operar con Chile".La Nación.
  16. ^"CDS official site )".cdsunasur.org.
  17. ^Infodefensa (26 September 2011)."Los Ejércitos de Chile y Argentina realizan el ejercicio conjunto 'SAR Terrestre 2011' en la Antártida - Noticias Infodefensa América".infodefensa.
  18. ^Argentine Army: UNFICYPArchivedApril 23, 2007, at theWayback Machine
    UN: Cyprus - UNFICYP - Facts and FiguresArchivedSeptember 7, 2009, at theWayback Machine
    Chilean Army: Misión de la ONU en Chipre desde el año 2003ArchivedJune 12, 2007, at theWayback Machine
    Brazilian Army: UNFICYPArchivedFebruary 18, 2007, at theWayback Machine
  19. ^Argentina, Armada."Gaceta Marinera - Portal Oficial de Noticias de la Armada Argentina".gacetamarinera.ar.
  20. ^"Jefatura de Gabinete de Ministros - Mapa de Sitio"(PDF).Jgm.gov.ar. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 2009-03-24.Retrieved2013-09-04.
  21. ^"ARGAIR".Archived fromthe originalon August 5, 2010.

Sources[edit]

Further reading[edit]

External links[edit]

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