Argentine nationalist sectors are concerned that US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) Chief Admiral Alvin Holsey’s recent visit could signal the beginning of a sovereignty handover to Washington, which President Javier Milei is believed to favor.
A Pentagon-funded, modernized military port with air, land, and naval capabilities near Antarctica would enhance US control over key maritime routes and resources, thus compromising Argentina’s neutrality vis-a-vis Russia and China. In this scenario, the Admiral’s low-profile tour (he did not meet with the Governor of Tierra del Fuego nor the Mayor of Ushuaia) would represent a geopolitical shift.
Under Milei, Argentina is moving forward in this direction of a strategic alignment with US military interests, particularly in controlling access to Antarctica and the Strait of Magellan. Critics argue that a US base would strain relations with China and Russia while sidelining regional partners like Brazil and Chile. Additionally, concerns have been raised about bypassing constitutional requirements for congressional approval of foreign troop deployment, which could even include US submarines in Ushuaia.
Milei is perceived to be ceding territory as well as national defense supervision to a foreign power that is also a strategic partner of the United Kingdom, with whom Argentina still has a sovereignty dispute regarding the Falklands/Malvinas Islands. Hence, the Libertarian Government’s “Antarctic logistics” is well resisted by many.
Moreover, US President Donald Trump has, since his return to office, expressed his interest in the US resuming control of the Panama Canal. With that waterway out of the equation, the Strait of Magellan remains the only passage between the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans, so it would be fair to assume that the Republican leader has an eye on the matter, be it on the Argentine side or on Chile’s similar project in Punta Arenas.
May 5, 2025
SOURCE: MERCOPRESS