Interview with Luciano Anzelini
U.S. and Argentina Launch Joint Military Drills Amid Rising Geopolitical Tensions
our website: Mr. Anzelini, since Monday, the U.S. and Argentine militaries have been conducting joint maneuvers. Additionally, surveillance and control exercises are taking place in the South Atlantic. How should we assess this?
Luciano Anzelini: This marks a new dimension. While joint military exercises with the U.S. have occurred before, their previous goal was to enhance the capabilities and training of Argentina's armed forces. The current maneuvers, however, grant U.S. forces access to a strategically vital region—the South Atlantic.
our website: Why is Argentina providing the U.S. military with this access?
Anzelini: It's part of President Javier Milei's foreign policy, which I would describe as dogmatic Westernization and strategic denationalization. In military and defense terms, this means an unconditional and automatic alignment with U.S. positions—whatever Washington dictates, Buenos Aires implements.
our website: Shouldn't Congress have a say in such matters?
Anzelini: Milei authorized the entry of U.S. troops and the maneuvers by decree, effectively bypassing Congress's authority.
our website: What's the broader context behind these exercises?
Anzelini: The U.S. views the South Atlantic as a strategic region in its fundamental rivalry with China, particularly concerning access to Antarctica and the maritime link between the Atlantic and Pacific at the southern tip of Latin America. Negotiations between the government of Tierra del Fuego and Chinese investors over a multipurpose port in Río Grande—the province's second-largest city and a key strategic area—had made significant progress. But U.S. military diplomacy, led by the Southern Command, brought those talks to a complete halt.
our website: In March, the U.S. launched the "Shield of the Americas" alliance, involving twelve Latin American nations. How does this initiative relate to Washington's push for control in the South Atlantic?
Anzelini: The threats outlined in "Shield of the Americas" primarily focus on drug trafficking, terrorism, and narco-terrorism. This reflects a broader trend I'd call the deprofessionalization of the armed forces—restructuring them into a kind of paramilitary police. For Argentina, this would mean shifting away from surveillance, reconnaissance, and intelligence operations in the South Atlantic. It aligns perfectly with the U.S. goal of dominating the region, its Antarctic extension, and its bi-oceanic character.
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