Argentina plans to spend about $200 million on naval base in Ushuaia
The Argentine government plans to allocate more than 300 billion pesos, or about $200 million, for the construction of an Integrated Naval Base in Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego province. The project is expected to be completed in 2029, and its funding is to be included in the 2027 state budget.
As the Buenos Aires Times reports, Argentine Defense Minister Lieutenant General Carlos Presti said that the base would be built exclusively with state funds, without external financing. According to him, the government decided to continue the project while maintaining fiscal balance.
Strengthening presence in the South Atlantic
Argentine authorities state that the new facility is intended to strengthen the country's strategic positions in the far south and its capabilities in the South Atlantic. President Javier Milei also said that the base would be used to expand Argentina's telecommunications capabilities.
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Local media reported that the government wants to integrate telecommunications systems with radars, sensors, satellite systems and electronic intelligence assets as part of a surveillance network in the South Atlantic.
The Argentine status of the base
Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno, who visited Ushuaia together with Presti, stressed that the facility is conceived as an Argentine base created using the country's own resources. He noted that after construction is completed, other countries may use it for logistical needs on the route to Antarctica, but the project is currently conceived as an Argentine base.
Presti and Quirno inspected the site where the base is planned to be built together with Armed Forces specialists and technicians. They also met with Tierra del Fuego Governor Gustavo Melella and Vice Governor Mónica Urquiza. According to the government, Melella expressed readiness to cooperate in implementing the initiative.
