He Ministry of National Defense received this Wednesday a donation promoted by the Defense Cooperation Office of the U.S. Embassy for the historic value of 14 million dollars, which includes 13 vehicles Mamba MK7 with multi-band communication equipment, complete maintenance packages and 6 operational training and repair courses, equipment that will be used in future peacekeeping missions.
Speaking to the press, the Minister of National Defense, Armando Castaingdebat, He pointed out that “there is a clear definition by the President of the Republic to strengthen the armed forces and recover operational capacity in some areas that were practically being lost.”
In this context, Castaingdebat highlighted: “First those were acquired Hercules which came to replace the ones that already existed. The purchase of the six is being defined these days Super Tucanos, This would be a milestone because no warplanes have been purchased since 1981. We should not think about the war, but about everything that constitutes the shielding of our borders.”
The United States highlighted the “long history of cooperation” with Uruguay
For her part, the US ambassador to the country, Heide Fulton, He described the event as “very special, reflecting a long history of cooperation between the United States and Uruguay and we are very happy to celebrate this donation today.”
The diplomat added that talks to achieve this began a few years ago and did not rule out new donations. “Our goal is to understand the needs of the Armed Forces of Uruguay and look for opportunities to advance donations when we have the possibility,” he said.
Equipment for peacekeeping missions
Finally, the Commander in Chief of the Army, Mario Stevenazzi, He explained that the donation is for the armored vehicles to be used only in peacekeeping missions. “They are state-of-the-art vehicles, very versatile and very suitable for carrying out peacekeeping missions. They have several advantages, including anti-mine protection, which is essential for new deployments and is required by the UN”, projection.
In this regard, he said: “Remember that in the Congo “We are a reserve force, we are not quick response, but we are permanently responding. And these vehicles provide the personnel with the guarantee of being able to act with a totally reliable and safe means, especially in terms of personal safety, with the option of rapid deployment, that is, being able to go to any place quickly with armored protection.” According to the commander, the equipment can also be used in border patrol.
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Mission in the Congo
The Ministry of Defense reported that steps are being taken to end the peace mission in the Republic.Democratic Republic of the Congo, although the time could be extended at the request of that country.
In this regard, he reported that days ago the Defense commissions and the commander in chief of the Army in that country were there and announced that this Thursday 25th he will hold a meeting with the ambassador of that country, at the headquarters of the Chancellery.
Today, of the approximately 1,000 troops deployed in various peacekeeping missions, more than 700 are in the Congo.
Source: Ambito
