President Alberto Fernandez He stressed this Wednesday that “the hierarchy of the Armed Forces (FFAA) is an imperative that cannot be postponed”, because “the defense of the territory and the preservation of sovereignty” are “priority tasks” of the Army, Navy and Air Force.
“After forty years of democratic validity, the hierarchization of our Armed Forces becomes an imperative that cannot be postponed. Training them, rebuilding their income and strengthening their equipment must be our work objectives,” said the head of state at the inauguration of the 141st regular session of the National Congress.
Along these lines, Fernández stressed that “the number of projects assumed” was increased by “40%” by the National Defense Fund (Fondef)a fund with which the equipment of the armed forces is financed “for the first time in its history”.
“The defense of our territory and the preservation of our sovereignty are priority tasks for our men and women of the three forces,” he stressed, adding that “border control” tasks and the collaboration of officers in the provinces that “need it”, as “1,000 troops” of the National Gendarmerie did in the city of Rosario.
In this sense, the president pointed out that this work of the federal forces “is carried out in coordination” with each provincial force. “Thus, the national forces are deployed in complex neighborhoods of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, province of Buenos Aires and Santa Fe,” he said.
He also pondered the “strengthening sovereignty in Antarctica and the South Atlantic”by indicating the importance of the “surveillance and control operations of maritime and fluvial spaces”.
“We have installed in the city of Río Grande, an Air Surveillance and Control Radar (RPA) produced by the Institute of Applied Research (Invap)”he stressed, and mentioned the “beginning of work” to recover the Petrel permanent Antarctic base and “the start-up” of the Integrated Naval Base in the city of Ushuaia.
In addition, the president pointed out the relevance of the plan to “prevent and investigate cybercrime”to which 16 provinces adhered and for which “equipment was delivered and police personnel and prosecutors were trained” from all over the country.
“The fight against organized crime is a priority fight of the national government. Democracy also has to guarantee the security of each and every one of the inhabitants,” he stressed.
Regarding the remuneration of the officers, the President remarked that “the non-remunerative amounts” of the three forces were incorporated and that the salary is being “equated” to that received by members of the federal security forces, an objective that “will be achieved ” in 2024.
In this regard, the Ministry of Defence reported that a resolution signed by this portfolio and the Ministry of Economy was published by the Government, which establishes the “salary hierarchy of the armed forces at around 60%.”
“It will begin to be implemented as of March with a first tranche of 14% increase, which will also be added to the 23.3% salary update in accordance with the criteria adopted for civilian personnel of the National Public Administration”said Defense.
This political decision – promoted by the President, the Minister of Economy, Sergio Massa, and the Minister of Defense, Jorge Taiana – will mean that military personnel will receive “substantive reinforcement” from April, which will be completed “with the rest of the the increases provided for in the joint resolution”.
“We are complying with a long-standing demand from the Armed Forces. We want military men and women to receive compensation that is adequate for their abilities and that demonstrates that the country needs them to take care of its sovereignty and well-being,” Taiana said in a statement.
