At the ceremony led by the Minister of Defense Luis Petri participated the Ambassadors Marc Stanley, United States, and Halvor Sætre, Norway. The four military chiefs were also present: Brigadier General Xavier Isaac, Joint Chiefs of Staff; Vice Admiral Carlos Allievi, Navy; Brigadier General Fernando Mengo, Air Force; and Major General Carlos Presti, Army. Ministry officials also participated, such as Juan Battaleme, Secretary of International Affairs.
The purchase of the Orion reached the sum of 67 million dollarsincludes spare parts, tools and training of crew and technical personnel. There are three aircraft P-3C and one of the P-3N version, all with flight potential of more than 17,000 hours remaining for each aircraft.
In a Cuban-style speech, due to its length, Petri He mixed concepts of strategic alignment with domestic politics, criticism of the Kirchner administration, announcements on the military front and a review of the operational missions of the incorporated aircraft.
He began by detailing military cooperation with USA. “We started a 180-degree turn, a path of integration of strategic alliances and that is why one of the first measures we took was to request incorporation as a global partner of the NATO“, he said. He did not say it, but it is known that the link with intermediate powers that are members of the Atlantic Alliance such as Norway (Orion seller) and Denmark (F-16 vendor) is part of that change.
“Our navy reintegrated the Combined Maritime Force (Combined Maritime Forces, CMF),” the minister said. It is a task force made up of 46 countries established since 2001 in Bahrain, at a neuralgic point between the Suez Canal and the Strait of Hormuz, Middle East, led by the command of the Fifth Fleet of the United States.
This is about the participation of an Argentine officer in the staff of a multinational naval force deployed in a conflict zone dominated by the threatening influence of Iran and its terrorist accomplices in the Strait of Hormuz to the transit of oil tankers carrying more than 20 percent of crude oil and liquefied gas that moves the world.
Then it was time to show support for Ukraine and support for the Ukrainian people through the Ramstein group: “We went to the contact group to facilitate humanitarian support in the face of the invasion suffered by our Ukrainian brothers by Russia.”
He then lashed out at the previous administration: “Kirchnerism, because it is necessary to say it like this: this agreement with Norway for the Orion was signed last year.” “It was assumed that Argentina had to make the disbursement of the first installment 30 days after signing, something that did not happen,” he added. And he explained the renegotiation and the US support through Ambassador Marc Stanley and Norway so that the deal would not fall through.
He then made the announcement of an upcoming salary increase for the uniformed personnel, which is understood to be the APN’s collective bargaining agreement, although the military is awaiting the commitment to equalize salaries with the security forces. Finally, he explained the characteristics of the aircraft that they apply to combat and deter illegal fishing, given its autonomy of 12 hours and range of action of some 1,500 nautical miles (2,780 km). “It is a technological leap that puts our capabilities on par with those of the rest of the region,” said Petri.
Features of the Orion
The aircraft can monitor almost the entire coastline in a single flight. They can be configured for image intelligence and ship identification missions.
It will allow you to reach subantarctic waters in tasks of observation and surveillance of vessels dedicated to scientific research or fishing within the maritime zone regulated by the Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR).
It is a sensitive area of waters near the South Georgia Islands where black hake is caught, a species of high value in the international market. Interference activities of the Secretariat of the Malvinas, Antarctica and South Atlantic through the National Antarctic Directorate (DNA) of the Foreign Ministry, office headed by Paola Di Chiaro.
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In turn Marc Stanley, Ambassador of the United States and Halvor Sætre of the Kingdom of Norway spoke“If it takes two to tango, in this case it took three people,” Stanley said wittily. He then praised the Milei administration: “They should feel very proud of their leaders, their authorities, the achievements they have obtained in just the last 10 months,” he said. “In the United States we are very proud and happy to see Argentina improving its maritime patrol capacity and also strengthening the role of the Navy in national defense,” he said.
The Norwegian diplomat recounted the performance of the Orions in his country, “the four acquired by you have been crucial for Norway to be able to control and exercise sovereignty in our land and sea areas.” The military aspect is important, but the civilian benefit of these ships should not be underestimated. “They have been used to prevent illegal fishing in Norwegian waters for missions in the polar regions and for anti-piracy missions.” “They are equipped with a very high quality maritime radar and have several instruments and sensors to collect information about their environment simultaneously,” Ambassador Sætre concluded.
Source: Ambito
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