The minister of National Defense, Javier García, announced that Uruguay will acquire an oceanographic vessel from USA, in an operation that is added to the purchase of Spanish ocean patrols that the government decided months ago and raised controversy.
On this occasion, the government will buy the ship “Mt. Mitchell” for 1.7 million dollars, while an investment of close to 2 million dollars is estimated in dry dock work for safe navigation. “It is not zero cost, but we do not ask anything of the Parliament”, accurate Garcia, by pointing out that the expense is contemplated in the budget of his portfolio.
The leader announced the purchase in his speech before the Association of Marketing Leaders (ADM) and estimated that the ship will arrive during the first half of next year and will serve to improve the security of transfers, replacing the ROU 22 Oyarvide.
“It is a very nice project for the Uruguay, very interesting and essential,” he said. Garcia, remembering that the country “has not had oceanographic and hydrographic capacity since 2015 and with this we lost very important capacities in this matter.”
Regarding the scope of the measure, he highlighted that the government “does not have the capacity to map the Safe Water Corridor so that navigation is permanently tested and safe.” When highlighting the expense, contemplated in the budget, the minister highlighted: “The Navy “He proposed to us not to invest in repairing old ships and to use that money to be more efficient and buy the new one, which will also be used for the work of scientists.”
Investment in Defense
Garcia He also highlighted that, at the end of his mandate, the Navy will have eight new vessels, including three coast guard boats donated by the USA, a patrol vessel provided by the Republic of Korea and a rescue boat Germany, in addition to the two ocean patrols that will be built in Spanish shipyards, about which he highlighted that “the president of the Republic (Luis Lacalle Pou) “He has just signed his award.”
Meanwhile, he highlighted the equipment update in the Air Force, moment in which he highlighted the purchase of two airplanes Hercules used to repatriate around 150 people from Israel, in the middle of the war.
Finally, he valued the updating of the fleet of trucks, light and armored vehicles of the Armyas well as the salary increase of 15% in real terms for soldiers, which “made it possible to reduce by half the gap between what a soldier earns and the salary of administrative personnel in other organizations of the Central administration”.
Along the same lines, he recalled that the Accountability recently approved, after negotiations with Town meeting For this issue, it established a budget of 58,000,000 dollars to increase the wage bill that encompasses that sector.
Source: Ambito
