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Military of Argentina
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The Armed Forces of the Argentine Republic, in Spanish Fuerzas Armadas de la República Argentina, are controlled by the Commander-in-Chief (the President) and a civilian Minister of Defense. In addition to the army, navy and air force, there are two forces controlled by the Interior Ministry: the Argentine National Gendarmerie, a gendarmerie used to guard borders and places of strategic importance; and the Naval Prefecture, a coast guard used to protect internal major rivers and maritime territory.
Traditionally, Argentina maintains close defense cooperation and military-supply relationships with the United States and at a lower level with Israel, Germany, France, Spain, and Italy.
military is under the direct authority of the Defense Ministry, and comprises five branches divided in two categories: Armed Forces (Fuerzas Armadas) and Security Forces (Fuerzas de Seguridad).
On June 12, 2006, President Néstor Kirchner brought into force the Defence Law, which had been passed in 1988 as a means to modernize the doctrine of the armed forces and define their role, though successive governments had failed to put it into effect.
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Encyclopedia
The Armed Forces of the Argentine Republic, in Spanish Fuerzas Armadas de la República Argentina, are controlled by the Commander-in-Chief (the President) and a civilian Minister of Defense. In addition to the army, navy and air force, there are two forces controlled by the Interior Ministry: the Argentine National Gendarmerie, a gendarmerie used to guard borders and places of strategic importance; and the Naval Prefecture, a coast guard used to protect internal major rivers and maritime territory.
Traditionally, Argentina maintains close defense cooperation and military-supply relationships with the United States and at a lower level with Israel, Germany, France, Spain, and Italy.
Structure
The military is under the direct authority of the Defense Ministry, and comprises five branches divided in two categories: Armed Forces (Fuerzas Armadas) and Security Forces (Fuerzas de Seguridad).
On June 12, 2006, President Néstor Kirchner brought into force the Defence Law, which had been passed in 1988 as a means to modernize the doctrine of the armed forces and define their role, though successive governments had failed to put it into effect. 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.
History
The Argentine military were considerably more influential in former times. Throughout the 20th century, democratic governments were more often than not interrupted by military coups (see History of Argentina). The last military dictatorship lasted from 1976 to 1983 and was named "National Reorganization Process" (in Spanish, Proceso de Reorganización Nacional) by its leaders, who justified their actions (illegal detentions, forced disappearances, torture and summary executions) as necessary for the suppression of terrorism (see "Dirty War").
1965 Operacion 90
In 1965, the Argentine military conducted land military maneuvers on Antarctica under then-Colonel Jorge E. Leal. Nicknamed Operación 90, this was undertaken ten years before the Antarctic Treaty came into being and was conducted to cement Argentina's claims to a portion of those territories (still claimed as Argentine Antarctica).
Beagle Conflict
1980s transition to democracy
During the Alfonsín administration, the Army was rocked by uprisings and internal infighting, primarily due to the new government's stance against the events of the repression during the 1970s. Far-right sectors of the Army rebelled themselves in the Carapintadas (painted faces) movement. In 1982, the Army invaded the Falkland Islands (Malvinas), but was defeated in the subsequent war with the United Kingdom, known as the Falklands War (Guerra de las Malvinas). In January 1989, the Army used white phosphorus during the 1989 attack on La Tablada Regiment, in a violation of the Geneva Convention (according to a document presented by the human rights commission of the United Nations on January 12, 2001). 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. Up to 30,000 people are said to have been killed or disappeared in Argentina's "dirty war" when the military regime persecuted opponents.
1990s
In the 1990s, Argentine Armed Forces began a close defense cooperation and friendship policy with neighbors Brazil and Chile and focused in United Nations mandates.
The Argentine military have been reduced both in number and budget, but became more professional, especially after conscription was abolished. The British embargo due to the Falklands War was officially eliminated and Argentina was granted a Major Non-NATO ally status by United States President Bill Clinton.
Present
While Mercosur is only an economic entity so far, the strengthening of confidence among the member countries has been beneficial to the peace in the region, exercising a useful role in supporting democracy. The Mercosur served, for example, to discourage the Paraguayan military from an attempted coup in early 2000.
In 2007, an Argentine contingent including helicopters, boats and water purification plants was sent to help Bolivia against their worst floods in decades. In October 2007 the Argentine navy formally handed possession to human rights groups of one of the most notorious buildings used during military rule. The Naval Mechanics School in the capital, Buenos Aires, in which an estimated 5,000 people were tortured and killed, will now be turned into a memorial museum.
International participation
Argentina was the only Latin American country to send warships and cargo planes in 1991 to the Gulf War under UN mandate and has remained involved in peacekeeping efforts in multiple locations like Croatia/Bosnia, Gulf of Fonseca, UNFICYP in Cyprus (where among Army and Marines troops the Air Force provided the UN Air contingent since 1994) and MINUSTAH in Haiti.
UNFICYP was also a precedent in the Latin American military as troops of Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay are embedded in the Argentine contingent
Since 1999 and as of June 2006, Argentina is the only Latin American country to maintain troops in Kosovo during SFOR (and later EUFOR) operations where combat engineers of the Argentine Armed Forces are embedded in an Italian brigade.
As of 2006, Argentine military forces formed part of
And as military observers in UNTSO, MINURSO, UNMIL, MONUC, UNMIS and ONUCI.
Argentina was also responsible for the White Helmets initiative.
See also
External links
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