Team assignment Carlos Presti At the head of the Ministry of Defence, it was designed by the government with the aim of opening a new phase in the relationship between the military world and civil society, but it also generated internal conflict in Armed Forces (FFAA) Due to clashes between the chain of command and the hierarchy of authorities, which can be resolved Louis Petrie before leaving office.
The current holder does not intend to leave office before December 10, so he will only take up the House seat on that date. In order to receive Strykers and F-16 fighters.
This week, the man from Mendoza will lead presentation events for both acquisitions, in Buenos Aires’ Boloni and in Cordoba’s Rio IV, respectively, to showcase them as milestones in his administration.
In parallel, the official is planning another event to show the president Javier Miley Planes, which will not happen at the same time as the plane arrives, but rather after a few days.
Although the head of state will finally be in Argentina when the F-16s land, since he canceled his trip there USAThe idea is that he will see them later: “It’s not a problem of his own, but of logistics and timelines,” they explain.
Because of all these pending commitments, Petrie will not resign from the Department of Defense in the short term, as he did. Patricia Bullrich To security to become a senator, leaving her old position Alejandra Monteoleva.
In his case, he will be sworn in as a representative next Wednesday, like the rest of the elected representatives. But his replacement in the Cabinet will not be officially named until after the ninth.
During this time, as revealed by various sources informationIt is likely that the man from Mendoza will also seize the opportunity to appoint the new leadership of the armed forces, thus preventing this task from falling on the shoulders of his successor, who is currently the head of the army.
It is common that when there is a renewal in the Ministry of Defence, the next official changes the higher military authorities to appoint people he trusts, but on this occasion a special situation arises because Presti is an active man in uniform.
This scenario has been a conflict in the chain of command ever since In the military field there is a clear arrangement of hierarchies based on three factors: position, rank and seniority..
He gets less time as lieutenant general than he has as brigadier general Xavier IsaacAs Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the peculiarity is that whoever runs the armed forces at the operational level must comply with the political instructions of someone who is actually inferior, which cannot happen.
next to, This position is one of the most sought after and has been sought after by the Navy for a long time.who has not been responsible for it since Menemism. The last sailor to occupy this chair was him Jorge EnricoBetween October 23, 1996 and August 27, 1997.
However, everything indicates that the person who will replace Isaac will be someone from the army, so it could be Petri who appoints him these days so that Presti, even today the head of the same force, will not be the one who does it later.
In any case, the future minister will face challenges associated with the conflict caused by the unusual fact of having a uniformed person in the Cabinet, mainly because he has already anticipated that he does not want to retire.
“I will abide by what the law specifies for military personnel,” the team said after a meeting at Casa Rosada. “I will continue in the military hierarchy, but in a different position.”
Law No. 19101 regulates the various circumstances in which members of the armed forces may find themselves throughout their careers, namely active duty, retirement and availability.
The latter is the category that Presti wants to remain in so that he does not have to give up his rank while doing his job in defence, although there is also a problem here which is that the rule allows him to grant this permission for inactivity when called upon by the executive, but For a maximum period of six months.
In any case, the path that the next minister will follow has not yet been confirmed, and he has already made his first important decision by choosing him as head of his office. Guillermo MaderoWho holds the position of Undersecretary of the Ministry of Civil Defense and Humanitarian Protection.
The official arrived last March, and during his few months in the Liberal government he had a strong relationship with the United States and coordinated, among other things, joint exercises with the Georgia National Guard.
Because the leader has experience in security at sporting events – he was one of those responsible for the Safe Tribune program during the Bullrich administration in 2016 – he caught the attention of North American authorities, who called in him to cooperate in planning for next year’s World Cup.
On the other hand, Presti will also have to face the challenge of making decisions involving the three powers, especially regarding the budget, without interpreting every movement within the sector as favoritism for the army, which is historically the one with the largest resources and therefore the largest expenditures.
For example, one of the issues on the agenda is negotiations to acquire submarines, a procedure that, if completed, would directly benefit the Navy.
Last week, the Minister of Strategy and Military Affairs, Marcelo Rosas GarayHe traveled with his secretary to Rio de Janeiro to attend the launch of the fourth Scorpene made in Brazil by the Naval Group, one of the companies with which Miley’s government is negotiating.