Central/South American Military News, Reports, Data, etc.

India Expands Defence Co-operation in Latin America

India and Peru signed a defence cooperation agreement to promote exchanges and training and collaboration in defence technology during the visit of the Vice President Mr Hamid Ansari to the country in last week of October. The defence cooperation agreement is primarily in terms of attendance of officers from Peru in courses in the National Defence College and Wellington Staff College. Further commitment will be after officials meeting of the Joint Commission to lay down the concrete agenda.


Brazilian and Indian Presidents

In other countries in Latin America, with Brazil, India has joint collaboration with Embraer for mounting of Indian radar on a Brazilian aircraft which is a very successful joint venture. India has sold Dhruv helicopters to Ecuador and has a defence cooperation agreement with Colombia. Similarly enhancement of cooperation is envisaged with Argentina and Chile, though the process seems to be somewhat slow at present.

South American Aerospace industry

From: Flight Global

The South American aerospace industry has won recognition in recent years as a major player on the international scene, mostly in part to the success of Brazilian manufacturer Embraer. Two other companies emerging from relative obscurity to make their mark are Empresa Nacional de Aeronautica de Chile (Enaer) and Fábrica Argentina de Aviones or FAdeA SA officially Fábrica Argentina de Aviones "Brigadier San Martín" S.A
Enaer was established 16 years ago by the Chilean air force to help beat international arms sanctions. It has since evolved into a rounded international business, with interests not only in the military market, but extending to the design and development of general aviation products, aerostructures manufacturing, and maintenance and overhaul.

Brig Gen Alfredo Guzman, Enaer's new executive director, says: "Over the past two decades, Chile has emerged in a strong position and we're able to offer our knowhow to other South American countries that want to collaborate with us. We have major competitive advantages, low labour costs and high-quality work."

This stood Enaer in good stead during the region's recent economic downturn. While profits were hit, falling from $2.2 million net in 1998 to $1.2 million last year, sales have continued to grow, ballooning from $46.6 million to $60 million last year. This is in no small part because of the company's growing partner-supplier relationship with Embraer.

Enaer is the sole supplier of the empennage for the Embraer RJ-145/135 family of regional jets. Orders and options total about 1,000. Production has accelerated from six to 12 aircraft a month and is set to rise to 16 by next year. "Even right in the middle of this crisis, we continued to hire people as the number of shipsets required by Embraer doubled," says Guzman.

The company is keen to build its relationship with Embraer, to include participation in its larger ERJ-170/190 regional jet development. The company offered to supply the new 70-108-seat aircraft's empennage, but appears to have lost to Gamesa of Spain and seeks to participate in other areas.


A-35 Pillan piston trainer

Enaer's other principal manufacturing work revolves around revitalising its A-35 Pillan piston trainer and finally putting the locally designed Namcu/Eaglet light aircraft into series production. A total of 126 Pillans has been built since 1981 for seven nations, including Chile, Guatemala, Panama and Spain. Work stopped 12 months ago after delivery of the final four of eight ordered by the Dominican Republic.

"I see good opportunities in South America and Europe and we may be able to manufacture another 100. At the FIDAE air show [from 27 March-2 April, in Santiago], I'll be talking to some Central American countries that have an interest in buying more Pillans. I have four in production, and my business plan for the year calls for 12," says Guzman.


T-35DT Turbo Pillan

Enaer is still promoting the improved T-35DT Turbo Pillan, powered by a 310kW (420hp) Rolls-Royce 250 turboprop in place of the Textron Lycoming IO-540 six-cylinder piston engine. It has been flying for years without attracting a launch order. Enaer is nonetheless confident that the 180kt (330km/h) speed and price of under $1 million will attract smaller nations looking to acquire a patrol and observation capability. Enaer claims that at least two countries are interested.

The company hopes to receive European certification of the side-by-side two-seat Eaglet by May, after more than a year of delay. The composite aircraft was developed as the Namcu basic trainer for the air force, but after the military lost interest, it was relaunched in 1995 as a joint venture with the University of Delft in the Netherlands.

Renamed the Eaglet, the aircraft has undergone design changes to comply with certification requirements, including installation of a more powerful Lycoming O-320-D2A piston engine. A modified Namcu has been flying with Euro-Enaer in the Netherlands since 1998 and it will be joined by the first fully compliant prototype at the end of March.

As part of its joint venture responsibilities, Enaer delivered the prototype to the Netherlands in February for engine and avionics installation. "We'll manufacture the airframe here and they will complete it over there and sell it in Europe. The Dutch are confident, and think there is a big market for this small lightweight aircraft," says Guzman.

Euro-Enaer appears to have dropped immediate plans to seek certification for the aircraft. Attention is focused on selling the $160,000 Eaglet to private flying clubs in Europe and to government agencies in South America.

Civil diversification
Enaer, in the meantime, has diversified into other civil programmes, such as supplying Dassault Falcon 900 and 2000 lower mid-wing structures, CASA/IPTN CN235 tail components and as a subcontractor to Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI). It hopes that the air force's forthcoming fighter buy will generate further spin-off work.

"For sure, there will be some economic compensation from the air force 2000 fighter programme. We hope for at least $20-25 million in additional sales per year by manufacturing parts and through aircraft and engine maintenance," says Guzman.

Depot-level maintenance for the air force has provided Enaer with a staple diet of work since it was established at the El Bosque air base. The company supports virtually every type in the air force's inventory, ranging from Boeing 707s and Lockheed Martin C-130B/H tankers and transports, down to piston Cessna O-2s.


CASA C101 Aviojets


Enaer completed licence production of 41 CASA C101 Aviojets thirteen years ago, but continues to support the programme. Two versions are in air force service, the T-36 trainer and A-36CC Halcon light strike aircraft. The recently completed "Toqui" programme upgraded the latter version with a new weapon delivery system.

Enaer expanded into the civil after-sales market in 1998 by creating a commercial aircraft division. It is performs heavy C- and D-checks on Boeing 737-200s for airlines such as Aerolineas Argentinas, Ladeco and LanChile, while the engine division hopes to break into the large Pratt & Whitney JT8D overhaul market.

In the wake of LanChile's large orders for new Airbus Industrie A320 and A340-300 passenger aircraft, Enaer is looking at more new overhaul and maintenance opportunities at Santiago's main Arturo Merino Benitez Airport. "We're talking about co-operation with LanChile and establishing a major new hangar at the airport for servicing large civil and military aircraft," Guzman reveals.

Deep in the fertile farmlands and rich grasslands of Argentina's pampas, meanwhile, the Fábrica Argentina de Aviones or FAdeA Cordoba factory seems an unlikely place for a veritable aerospace revolution. Yet, filled to the brim with testing and manufacturing equipment of which most companies can only dream, this is the intended centrepiece of FAdeA bid to become the premier aerospace provider in Latin America.

"This facility is really the crown jewel in the whole Argentinian aviation/military complex," says FAdeA president James Taylor, who has been at the helm of the company's Latin American venture since the former government complex was privatised in July 1995. Although FAdeA was formed around the company's hard-won McDonnell Douglas A-4AR upgrade contract for the Argentinian air force, the victory provided it with something even more worthwhile in the long term - a springboard from which to hit new markets with new products and services in Latin America and elsewhere.

Lockheed Martin's bid for the A-4 work dovetailed with strategic plans to expand its global network of sites to include a Latin American stronghold. Taylor adds: "Part of the vision was to build an aviation centre of excellence down here in South America. We already had pretty good experience in China and Saudi Arabia and this was the next logical step in terms of the maintenance and overhaul business. By getting this site, we also got a couple of extra benefits, including a vast manufacturing site and engine overhaul facility."

The Cordoba site encompasses a bewildering range of capabilities under its 220,000m² (2.3 million ft²) roof. Massive, 18m (60ft) numerically controlled three- and five-axis machines, automatic lathes and milling and welding machines sit alongside autoclaves, clean rooms and ultrasonic inspection systems. In adjoining parts of the 200Ha (495 acre) site, supersonic and transonic windtunnels can be found beside ejection seat and parachute packaging lines. Sited close to nearby air force academies and training schools, FAdeA also has access to one of the most vital resources of all: more than 1,000 trained staff.

"They are probably one of the best trained labour forces I have come across anywhere in the world," says Taylor, who adds that the all-embracing Cordoba site is no accident. Fearing technical isolation through embargos from the USA and other Western nations in the wake of a military coup, it was forced to develop its in own in-house expertise.

Having completed the initial A-4AR upgrade work, as well as other Argentinian air force modification and maintenance contracts, FAdeA is preparing to attack the global marketplace with three main lines of business: civil and military maintenance and upgrades, manufacturing and engine repair and overhaul. All three initiatives build on the solid base of existing, or recently completed, work for the Argentinian defence department - particularly in the military aircraft maintenance and modification arena. Now the funding that supported so much activity is diminishing, and the hunt is on for new work.

FAdeA quickly discovered that it takes more than an impressive line-up of equipment and staff to secure new business in the hotly contested global market. "It was very obvious when we went looking for manufacturing work in Germany that we had to have ISO9001, for example," says Taylor, referring to the international quality assurance standard. The company underwent an audit by Germany's TUV and was awarded the qualification last August. To support its long-term commercial maintenance and modification ambitions, FAdeA also undertook a similar initiative to obtain Argentinian civil repair station certification for 737 and other work.


Boeing 737

"We've laid out big plans for the 737 here," says Taylor, who believes the first aircraft could arrive at the site's dedicated 1,725m-long runway by late April. The company is in talks with domestic and international carriers about supporting in Cordoba many of the 737s that are sent for maintenance to Brazil and El Salvador. The 737 fleet is the fastest-growing in Argentina, with Aerolineas Argentinas taking ex-British Airways -200s, through its absorption of Austral, and LAPA to double its 737-700 fleet over the next two years.

Taylor believes local labour costs will allow FAdeA 737 work to be competitively priced, but warns that value will remain the top priority, regardless of cost. "We can't, and won't, compete with rinky-dink 'mom and pop' operations with moonlighting military people and no technical manuals between them. We have started dialogues with airlines in all parts of Latin America and we are doing everything we can to make sure it will go through clean," he adds.


Fokker F28

While it prepares for the 737, FAdeA is not neglecting its military role, and continues to support the Argentinian air force's Fokker F28s, C-130s and Beech T-34 trainers, as well as the FMA IA58 Pucaras and IA63 Pampas, built at the Cordoba site. It hopes to begin upgrading the C-130s this year - mostly standardising the cockpits and electrical systems of the force's various C-130 models to a new "H" configuration. The advanced flightdeck will be based on new flat panel displays and an avionics suite including global positioning system (GPS), traffic collision avoidance system, ground proximity warning and an emergency locator transmitter.


C-130 upgrades

IA-63 Pampa

!A-58 Pucara

Advanced cockpit upgrades
Advanced cockpit upgrades are also proposed for the Pucara and Pampa. FAdeA bid for the Pucara is based around a new horizontal situation indicator (HSI), attitude direction indicator (ADI), radio magnetic indicator, new navigation/communications radios, GPS and radar altimeter. A range of options has been proposed for the Pampa, 58 of which are scheduled for construction.


IA-63 Pampa production line


The new cockpit is also being proposed for the Pampas where offered for advanced trainer competitions in Greece and Israel. The basic option is an ADI retrofit, plus a new HSI and HUD. A more advanced option covers HUD installation, plus multifunction display, hands-on-throttle-and-stick, mission computers, stores management system, inertial navigation and GPS. Both options include new radio suites and air data computers. Other upgrade elements include installing the more powerful Honeywell TFE731-4 or -5 turbofan in place of the -2, and a higher-capacity main landing gear to absorb the greater loads of the heavier aircraft.


IA-58 Pucara Cockpit Before


IA-58 Pucara Cockpit After

Upgrades of the elderly T-34s, some of which are based on the work recently completed on 30 air force aircraft, are also being offered to other nations. Manufacturing general manager Alberto Buthet says: "We are putting together proposals for upgrades to fleets in Ecuador, Peru and Uruguay. Some want just cockpit work done, but others want more, such as engine and structural updates, so we are working on a number of packages."
Exhaustive work
Overhaul and modification work on the air force T-34 fleet included an exhaustive damage tolerance and life extension test that was so complete that FAdeA is offering it to the air force as a model for returning grounded aircraft to service. T-34s, used in relatively large numbers in the USA for aerobatics and simulated combat flying, were grounded throughout the Americas following a fatal crash caused by a main wingspar failure.


T-34 Trainer

FAdeA manufacturing ambitions are intimately linked to restarting Pampa production, but also extend to new work such as production of cargo-door kits for the parent company's L-1011-40 freighter conversion programme in Greenville, South Carolina.

This could become more significant for Cordoba if, as planned, the freighter line moves south from the USA following the sixth aircraft's completion. FAdeA is also talking to DaimlerChrysler Aerospace (Dasa) Airbus about setting up a Latin American A300/A310 cargo conversion line.

Another vital area of growth is the company's engine overhaul, repair and test initiative. Building on its extensive site, FAdeA plans to expand quickly this year to include the JT8D for the 737-200, as well as the closely related J52 engine used in the A-4AR. Operations general manager Howard Atwood says: "Once we establish a regional presence with the JT8D, the next step will be to offer the same work on the CFM56.".

Staple engine work for the plant, in the meantime, continues to be on engines for the Argentinian air force fleet. This includes the R-R Allison T56, Honeywell TFE731 and 85-71/72 and 85-90 auxiliary power units, as well as the Turboméca Astazou XVIG and Snecma ATAR 09C engines. As with the airframe and avionics, the wealth of equipment at the Cordoba site means that elaborate component repairs and overhauls are possible.

With such dramatic expansion plans in place, it seems FAdeA dream to put Cordoba on the world's aerospace map is well on the way to becoming reality.

Now I am sick to my stomach. As an old cold warrior this was one of my biggest fears.

Argentina to Host Russian Military Bases While America Sleeps

Translated from Clarin Newspaper

Argentina has agreed to host Russian military bases on the South American continent as Argentina seeks to bring economic relief to the region.

While the world — and the US — have been fixated on the events happening in Ukraine, the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, has been inking deals with leaders in Latin America. First discussed by Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu in February, Putin intends to set up arm forces units and increase munitions sales in the Latin American realm.

Moscow’s plan comes on the heels of a recent statement from Iran involving the patrolling of waters off of the American coast. Russia and Iran have sited their reasons as being the increased US military presence near their borders. The US has urged the stretching of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to push up against the Russian perimeter.

The formation of indefinite Russian bases and a strong Russian existence in the Western Hemisphere will be a challenge to US policies and will diminish Washington’s influence. With South America in Russia’s good graces, the country will have a base to coordinate and store offensive weapons, putting another challenge in place for US homeland defenses.

America has never had sufficient missile defenses along its southern borders and cannot adequately defend against any missile strike coming from the south. Additionally, Russia has been sending missile bearing nuclear submarines to the South Hemisphere for 3 years.

Experts, including former Strategic Defense Initiative Director Henry Cooper, have been saying that America needs to utilize the existing Aegis defense framework in the southern parts of the US.

Published reports in South America say that Putin is seeking to create military bases in Cuba, Nicaragua, Venezuela and Argentina. All four countries are close partners of Moscow. Sources say that Putin will focus on Nicaragua because of its relatively stable political and economic environment. The Russian leader is concerned with Venezuela and Argentina’s instability since both countries are experiencing significant economic problems. Demonstrations have recently begun eroding the support of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and unrest is growing over Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner’s corrupt and inefficient administration.

The increase in Russian military appearance in South America would give Moscow the capability to start combat missions not only in Latin America but also North America as well. Latin American periodicals are reporting that the Obama administration is doing nothing to counter Russian, Iranian or Chinese expansion in the hemisphere.
The current American administration has already announced the end of the Monroe Doctrine, a nineteenth century declaration that says any efforts by European nations to colonize land in North or South America would be considered acts of aggression which would trigger US retaliation.

In a speech before the Organization of American States in November, US Secretary of State John Kerry announced the ending of the Monroe Doctrine. Saying that the relationship which America seeks and have worked to foster is “…not about a United States declaration…” in regard to how it will interfere in the affairs of other countries in the hemisphere.

Kerry’s statement didn’t take into consideration the possibility that US adversaries would set up bases in the Western Hemisphere at the request of Argentina and other regional governments.

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Miragedriver said:

Now I am sick to my stomach. As an old cold warrior this was one of my biggest fears.

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Looks like Putin is happy that he's single again!

solarz said:

Looks like Putin is happy that he's single again!

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Yes that’s because there are beautiful young Russian models he can date, not that old Socialist hag Cristina Kirchner

A very interesting article of the disaster that has been made of the military in Argentina. The article was originally printed in a publication called “Defensa”

Honor and Duty: The Reality of Argentina's Tattered Armed Forces

The Economic Meltdown and the Military Today
Ten years ago in 2001, the Argentine economy effectively imploded due to the collapse of the Argentine peso. The Argentine military proved incapable of surviving the negative aftershocks of a then broken policy of defending the peso at all costs. Since then, the military’s annual budget sank becoming a fraction of what it was in the past. Salaries were cut throughout the ranks. The size of the armed forces not only had to be reduced, but in many cases equipment had to be sold on the black market in order for military units to meet their daily expenses. According to Military Technology, the current strength of the Argentine military is about 68,000 troops.

In a May 2007 an opinion editorial in the conservative Argentine daily newspaper “La Nacion”, former Defense Minister Horacio Jaunarena declared that the average age of the country’s military hardware is thirty years. He reported that the army was operating at 30% of its supposed strength, due to its limited ability to house and feed its troops, as well as to maintain its equipment and weaponry. The former official gave other examples, such as that out of 31 military transport aircraft in inventory, only four were currently operational. Although the Argentine navy is considered new in comparison to those found in other countries across the continent, it remains one of the less potent in terms of its inherent military capacity due serviceability of equipment in inventory .

Assessing the Country’s Military
With a reduced budget, the Argentine military continues without a sense of direction or mission. In May 2006, then-President Nestor Kirchner declared his intention to reform the Argentine armed forces during a ceremony marking the army’s 196th anniversary. He stated that “we are preparing a process of review, restructuring and holistic modernization of the national defense system.” Similarly, in June 2008, current Defense Minister Nilda Garre discussed the re-organization of the country’s naval policy. She is on record as saying that “naval policy should adequately interconnect the need to have an efficient war squadron, sustainable economic development, protection of the marine environment, promotion of the ship-building industry, and the consolidation of an international system based on multilateralism and the respect for the norms of international law.”

There is certainly a necessity to modernize the Argentine military, particularly as Argentina’s military equipment has not been comprehensively renovated in years, possibly jeopardizing the integrity of the weaponry and whoever utilizes it. For example, in August 2005, a Hughes 39 helicopter operated by the Argentine military crashed in the province of Cordova, killing all four passengers. On April 2007, the icebreaker ARA Almirante Irizar caught fire in the South Atlantic (and is still inactive to this date).

But times could be slowly changing for the Argentine military as a rehabilitation process is slowly underway. In October 2007, Defense Minster Garre announced plans for additional funding for the armed forces, including funding to upgrade the Santa Cruz (TR-1700)-class submarine. A November 10, 2008 report in Mercopress news agency announced that Buenos Aires had refurbished its UH-3H Sea King helicopters. The article goes on to say that “Argentine defense sources admit that two Sea King helicopters were donated to Argentine from U.S. Navy inventory to replace some ageing Sea King” Since much of the equipment is technologically behind, many spares are increasingly difficult to obtain.

This past October 2008, the Argentine Defense Ministry announced the successful test of two medium-range Aspide missiles (Italian in origin) that had been modified in Argentina’s Centro de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas de las Fuerzas Armadas (Scientific and Technical Research Center of the Armed Forces). The goal of the project is to produce missiles that will intercept possible air attacks.

As previously noted, Argentina has carried out relatively few military purchases from foreign suppliers. In 2006 there were rumors circulating that Argentina would buy military hardware from Russia (at the time news about Venezuela’s multi billion-dollar purchases from Russia were still fresh); however, the story failed to materialize. Such rumors resurfaced again in early November 2008, when a report in the ITAR-TASS Russian state news agency quoted the director of the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation, Mikhail Dmitriyev, as saying that there is a growing trend of military technical cooperation between Russia and Argentina. The article mentions concrete plans for cooperation, including radar stations and a “helicopter program, including supplies and setting up of centers for servicing helicopter hardware, possibly, not only in Argentina but also at a regional scale.” To date the only Purchase has been a few Mi-17 helicopters to support the Antarctic bass as part of the heavy lift helicopter squadron.

The Argentine military is also salvaging homegrown equipment and do-it-yourself “garage” projects in order to prolong the life of its current aging hardware. So far, this process has had mixed success. In November 2007, the Argentine military presented its first self-fabricated helicopter. The CH-14 is a tandem two-seater (one crew member forward and the other aft) for surveillance and light attack. It is unclear if any foreign military establishments were interested enough to place tenders to buy them. During the presentation of the aircraft, General Roberto Bendini exalted the “courage” of the military aviators in various missions assigned to them, especially those carried out during the Malvinas War. In early November 2008, according to reports, the Argentine Defense Ministry decided to cancel “Project Patagon,” due to high costs. The goal of this initiative was to manufacture forty hybrid tanks, using out-of-service tank turrets and combining them with recently-acquired tank chassis parts from Austrian. The total price tag for the project was to be $23.4 million.

Almost at the same time, Argentine Defense Vice Minister, Germán Montenegro, declared that “the Argentine armed forces are prepared, qualified and trained to work in any scenario to militarily protect the country.” It is unclear if the Argentine official knew of the doomed Project Patagon, which exemplifies how cash-strapped the country’s military currently happens to be.

A new training facility for junior naval officers opened at the Puerto Belgrano naval base in 2006. Nestor Kirchner attended the ceremony and gave a speech in which he told junior officers that “you must now look ahead to the future and not to the past.”

In spite of the economy’s still present tempest, military exercises continue. In early November 2008, the Argentine military carried out exercises in the province of Corrientes, very close to the border with Paraguay. Paraguayan officials complained that their Argentine counterparts had failed to properly inform them of the commencement of these operations.

The Legacy of the Military Period and the Falklands/Malvinas War
In 2004 then-Defense Minister Jose Pampuro declared that the military would not be used for domestic security. The declaration came about due to persistent, if unsubstantiated rumors that the Colombian leftist rebel movement, FARC had “infiltrated” Argentine labor and political organizations. This was a prudent decision as such a deployment inevitably would have brought to mind odious memories from the military period when the civilian population was the target of choice of the Argentine military. A news report in October 2004 that was carried by the partially state-owned Argentine Telam news agency quotes Pampuro as saying “the Argentine government has clearly and emphatically refused to involve the armed forces in matters related to internal security.” The truth of the matter is that it remains somewhat unclear what exactly is the contemporary function of the Argentine military. Especially after the 2001 economic meltdown, Argentine military units have been tasked with a variety of relatively low-scale projects, like taking a minor role as white helmets in the UN mission to Haiti, Cyprus and environmental protection projects in Antarctica.

What continues to make headlines in Buenos Aires is the periodic arrests of now-retired military junta-era officials who are accused of human rights abuses. Interestingly, in 2007, Defense Minister Garre, a veteran leftist politician and critic of the 1970s’ military government, mandated that designated Argentine troops would take specially-arranged educational classes on human rights. At the time, an AP report mentioned that some 600 army, navy and air force troops would take a three-month, civilian-taught course, “the role of the state in a democratic society, conflict resolution and justice.”

A July 2008 report carried by Agence France Presse quotes Cristina de Kirchner’s interest in a greater Argentine military role in Antarctica. The article notes that “although Antarctica is protected under a 1959 treaty allowing only scientific research, moves are being made by Argentina, Australia, Britain, China, France, New Zealand and Norway to boost their presence there and lay claim to territorial waters that could yield oil.” Indeed, without any other obvious raison d’être for them to be stationed on mainland Argentina, Fernandez de Kirchner is considering sending her troops to Antarctica to keep them usefully occupied. The main problem being that of all the nations listed above, Argentina is the least likely to be able to maintain a military presence in Antarctica, let alone protect its own frontier.


The Kirchners and the Military
The relationship between the presidencies of Nestor Kirchner and Cristina de Kirchner with the Argentine military has been cool at best. In general, the Kirchners have done little, if anything at all, to shield suspect military officials from having to stand trial due to the abuses that occurred in the country under their leadership. For example, in 2004, then-President Nestor Kirchner took the bold move of ordering an investigation regarding accusations that the armed forces had operated training sessions on torture techniques during the early 1980s. Nestor Kirchner revealed himself as supporting the overturn of amnesty laws, which had previously protected junta-era military officers from being prosecuted for their atrocities.

In November 2007, Nestor Kirchner and hundreds of human rights activists gathered in Buenos Aires’ Memorial Park. During the gathering, he unveiled a memorial to the victims of the country’s “Dirty War.” The former president told his audience that the “monument is a great feat as it shows that the collective memory of the victims is alive in the world.”

The Malvinas catastrophe continues to be a sensitive issue for the nation, and Nestor Kirchner was known to have strained relations with his military while president, especially after he declared that the attack on the Malvinas had been a “cowardly” act. He uttered his words during a ceremony in 2006 marking the 24th anniversary of the Argentine attack on the British-held islands. He added that the invasion was an attempt for the junta led by General Leopoldo Galtieri to divert attention from the worsening economic situation of the country by waving the bloody flag of patriotism. “To save itself, the dictatorship planned and executed a war while lying about its intentions,” the Argentine leader added.

In a showcase moment for the Argentine military’s heated disdain for the Kirchner administration, a May 2006 AP report explained that four Argentine military officials were placed in detention for 20 days because of alleged security lapses that allowed heckling by anti Kirchner protesters during a public address by the President. During the speech, he was quoted as saying, “I want to make it clear, as president of the nation, that I am not afraid of you,” Kirchner said. “We want an army that is completely separate from state terror,” the then-head of state added. Cristina de Kirchner tried to improve her relationship with the military on her own, uttering pro-Argentine populist statements about the Falklands conflict and Argentina’s rightful ownership of the islands. In April 2011 the Argentine daily El Clarin reported that Fernandez de Kirchner had declared that Buenos Aires’ claim to the island will not end. She also defined the London-controlled archipelago as a “colony in the 21st century.”

A positive sign in contemporary Argentine civil-military relations is that the Argentine armed forces do not appear to have any marked interest in taking advantage of the country’s present economic difficulties, by trying to exercise any control over the government, plan a new invasion to reclaim the islands, or to assert a dominant place in Argentine domestic society.

Heading South?
The Argentine military is at a crossroads in terms of defining its identity and determining its raison d’être. Unfortunately for the armed forces, a lack of public interest in its status induces the military to look south, to raise the visibility and vigor of its claim to a section of Antarctica.

Yet unfortunately, for the foreseeable future, the Argentine military will continue to be viewed through its actions during the 1976-1983 military rule and the 1982 Malvinas War, when it pointed its guns against its nations civilians rather than an external enemy. It may take an external threat to awake the nation, and leadership, in Argentina that they can not continue to neglect their military any longer. Most nations that neglect there national defense, soon discontinue being sovereign nations and become puppets of their neighbors.

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Combine this with the previous article and there is the potential that Argentina could be fast tracked for a Venezuelan style Russian military rebuild. If I was Brazil right now I would be holding strategy meetings for my defense as four of my regional neighbors are going to be hosting foreign military services. If I was the UK I would be upgrading the Falklands perimeters.
If I was in the Whitehouse I would be pushing for a continental Missile Shield (the same one Obama negotiated away) and pushing to strengthen ties to Brazil, Columbia and other nations in Latin America.

Cuba and the Castro brothers have hosted Russian Navy bases before and it was a boom time for them. Heck they almost became a full Nuclear power.
even after the end of the missile crisis Russia kept ballistic missile armed conventional subs there. today there Revolutionary armed forces are a joke compared to past glories. With Russian military back in country its likely Castro's military wish list is going to get check marks. Subs, destroyers, missiles and Jets oh my...
add Venezuela who has production rights to a large amount of Russian military hardware, and its a virtual logistical hub for the four nations military aide.

Nicaragua's location is such that Russian ships can refuel or once the canal is built transverse the Both the Pacific and Atlantic. And Argentina gives Putin open range over the southern Atlantic.

TerraN_EmpirE said:

Combine this with the previous article and there is the potential that Argentina could be fast tracked for a Venezuelan style Russian military rebuild. If I was Brazil right now I would be holding strategy meetings for my defense as four of my regional neighbors are going to be hosting foreign military services. If I was the UK I would be upgrading the Falklands perimeters.
If I was in the Whitehouse I would be pushing for a continental Missile Shield (the same one Obama negotiated away) and pushing to strengthen ties to Brazil, Columbia and other nations in Latin America.

Cuba and the Castro brothers have hosted Russian Navy bases before and it was a boom time for them. Heck they almost became a full Nuclear power.
even after the end of the missile crisis Russia kept ballistic missile armed conventional subs there. today there Revolutionary armed forces are a joke compared to past glories. With Russian military back in country its likely Castro's military wish list is going to get check marks. Subs, destroyers, missiles and Jets oh my...
add Venezuela who has production rights to a large amount of Russian military hardware, and its a virtual logistical hub for the four nations military aide.

Nicaragua's location is such that Russian ships can refuel or once the canal is built transverse the Both the Pacific and Atlantic. And Argentina gives Putin open range over the southern Atlantic.

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Fortunately Argentina has good relations with Brazil and with any luck Cristina Kirchner will be gone soon and the nation will be able to align its self with west and hopefully regain its status of prefered non NATO Allie. The officer corp in Argentina would mutiny (in my oppinion) before getting into bed with the Russian’s (which they associate with Comunists). The military is a very close knit community and many of the young officers are sons of the old commanding officers. There would be (in my oppinion) push back to a civilian governments order to provide space and support to Russian military forces. Besides with the instability of the nation (shortages, high energy cost, black market, insecurity and the despotic corruption of the civilian government) there is no way that a long term deal can be worked out.

Additionally I don’t think Maduro will last another year in office and the Socialist experiment in both nations can end. If not, then America will need to iniciate another and remove these types from office.

I wouldn't bet on any Help from Obama in a Operation Condor II, His leaning is to isolation sadly right now both parties in the US are weak on foreign policy. And Obama is right now realizing that his foreign policy is a burning wreck. He's going to be to busy in Asia and Europe trying to learn to project power to realize that Russia is doing that to him. As to Kirchner and Midoro the thing about bad leaders is they have a bad tendency to be survivors. They also have a bad tendency to rewrite the rules. The existing army has been undermined by her she could use this as a opportunity to purge them and build one to her likeness. Its not unheard of. That is worst case but a possibly realistic one.

Another bit of sad and disturbing news

From Miami Herald

Venezuela and Argentina sign military alliance

Although protests in Venezuela continue, the Maduro government has not budged to the opposition's demands. Instead, Venezuela's government has opted to secure the allegiance of its South American neighbors.

United States Senator Marco Rubio called for sanctions against Venezuela earlier this month, and the Maduro administration claims the U.S. government secretly partook in the protests that erupted in February. It is uncertain whether Venezuela strengthening ties is a sign of further unrest or simply insurance. Regardless, the country has done so with another left-leaning government.

Argentina is the first nation to diplomatically strengthen ties with Venezuela. According to the Spanish news agency EFE, the two nations' foreign ministers met on Friday. During their meeting, the two diplomats signed a pair of accords that would ensure bilateral military cooperation as well as the sharing of technology.

Argentina's foreign minister, Agustín Rossi, said that the technology shared would help in the development of ammonia nitrate, a chemical useful in both fertilizers and explosives. Venezuela's foreign minister, Adm. Carmen Menendez, added that the two nations would share more technology, education and science.

"Our true north is the South, as our Comandante Chavez said, and we will move forward that way, all united, to consolidate regional integration," said Menendez.

Yet, not all of Venezuela's allies espouse such amicable intentions.
During the inauguration of a gathering of Latin American youth before the beginning of the G77 summit, which brought together the governments of 77 developing nations, Bolivian president Evo Morales accused the United States of inciting a civil war in Venezuela and reassured their Venezuelan allies of Bolivia's commitment, according to EFE.

"All our solidarity, our admiration for the Bolivarian revolution. We must defend and will defend the Bolivarian revolution in Venezuela," Morales told hundreds of young people from 15 countries attending the meeting in Santa Cruz.

Bolivia has been one of Venezuela's staunchest allies and has also been at odds with the United States. In 2008, Morales' government expelled the United States ambassador, Phillip Goldberg. However, in Venezuela negotiations between the two factions moves slowly. According to the Christian Science Monitor, negotiations between the two sides have not gone as well as expected, despite the government and government supporters touting it as a success for the nation.

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