Modernization of the Defense Sector. Principles and Characteristics of the Argentine Model
Abstract
The return to a democratic order in the Republic of Argentina created the political conditions necessary for a legally-constituted civil leadership to rethink national defense policy and, therefore, determine the new role of the Armed Forces under such framework. The bases to enable the re-institutionalization of the Armed Forces according to democratic rules--especially in compliance with the principle of subordination to civilian control and the limited assignment of roles and responsibilities--were laid down through the enactment of a series of laws comprising the corpus iuris of national defense, namely: National Defense Act 23,554 (1988), Domestic Security Act 24,059 (1992), Volunteer Service Act 24,439 (1994), Armed Forces Reorganization Act (1998) and National Intelligence Act 25,520 (2001). In spite of the progress represented by the creation of a regulatory framework for the sector, the efforts to make defense policy a truly consistent and agreed-upon State policy encountered several hindrances due to a complex range of factors. It is important to underscore, among those factors, the dynamic nature of the global and regional context in which the defense sector is inserted (the profound reconfiguration of the world after the end of the cold war, followed by the dramatic turning point of the post-cold war era represented by the attack on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001), as well as the direct incidence of domestic political factors. In the latter case, we cannot ignore the particular characteristics of the country's democratic transition process triggered by the political, economic and military collapse of the last de-facto government.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 2007
- Accession Number
- ADA530791
Entities
People
- Nestor C. Kirchner
- Nilda Garre
Organizations
- Ministry of Defense