The government of Javier Milei announced this Wednesday the signing of an agreement with the United States to strengthen “its surveillance and control capabilities in the South Atlantic,” according to an official statement. The agreement lasts five years and involves, on one hand, the contribution of US technology to modernize the equipment of the South American country’s Navy and, on the other hand, the authorization for the US Southern Command forces to participate in the patrol of the Argentine southern sea. The opposition to Milei’s government has warned about the risks this collaboration implies for national sovereignty.
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The US embassy in Argentina had already anticipated the issue, but the signing of the agreement was only confirmed this Wednesday by the local Ministry of Defense. The letter of intent signed by the authorities of the Southern Command and the Argentine Navy will allow the country to “incorporate new operational capabilities, technology, and training for personnel,” as well as improve “the detection, monitoring, and surveillance capabilities of maritime spaces” and “the response to illicit activities and threats.”
What the official statement did not specify was the title the agreement will carry, a detail that the US embassy did reveal under the slogan “stronger together, safer together”: Protecting Global Commons Program. That mention of the Argentine maritime part being considered “global commons” set off alarms among opposition sectors to Milei, critical of his unconditional geopolitical alignment with Donald Trump’s government.
The cooperation between both countries has already begun with the US contribution of “multispectral sensors, command and control systems, communications, and data link” for a Navy B-200M Cormorant aircraft. It will continue with the provision of two Textron B-360 ER MPA aircraft, equipped to carry out surveillance tasks, detect vessels, and identify maritime traffic, among other actions. The Argentine Navy will also receive “vertical takeoff drones suitable for operating from ocean patrol vessels” and a simulator for P-3C Orion aircraft.
The initiative is part of the US Department of War’s Program 333, through which Washington seeks to deepen its military ties with allied countries. In this regard, the US Embassy in Argentina emphasized that the signed letter of intent inaugurates a “five-year strategic alliance to defend global commons and strengthen regional security.” Milei’s government, on the other hand, highlighted another perspective on the agreement: “We defend our maritime sovereignty with greater presence, technology, and our own capabilities to protect Argentina’s strategic interests.”
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The main criticisms of the agreement came from Peronism. “The Argentine sea is not a global common good. It is a space where Argentina has the obligation to exercise its own jurisdiction and safeguard its resources,” said Carlos Bianco, Minister of Government of Buenos Aires province and right-hand man of Governor Axel Kicillof, one of the leaders aspiring to compete with Milei in the 2027 presidential elections. “Instead of offering our South Atlantic as a training and naval mapping area for other powers, the national government must fulfill its sovereign functions there,” Bianco added.
The Kirchnerist group La Cámpora also rebutted the definition “global common good.” “It belongs to Argentines and is strategic for national development. The Argentine maritime zone is one of the most productive and diverse in the world,” it said in a statement and criticized Milei for “giving away strategic information of the South Atlantic.”
Since his entry as president in the Casa Rosada in December 2023, the far-right politician ended Argentina’s traditional global bet on multipolarity and subordinated the country’s foreign policy to his relationship with Trump. That stance has already had numerous expressions, from positioning in favor of the US and Israel in the war with Iran to authorizing US military exercises within the country or the president’s visit to the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Nimitz last month, when the ship was cruising the Argentine coast.
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