Buenos Aires, November 23 (NA) -- Former Defense Minister Oscar Aguad described President Javier Milei's decision to appoint the current Chief of the General Staff of the Army, Carlos Presti, as head of the Defense portfolio as a "bold measure," a move that breaks with historical precedents in the country. The former official highlighted the potential abolition of the position of Commander-in-Chief and the urgent need to adapt defense legislation to new global threats. According to what the Argentine News Agency was able to learn, Aguad stated that this decision was not "seen in the era of the military process" and maintained that, while it is a "political decision by the president," it raises a question about the distinction of functions. In this sense, he emphasized the importance of defense policy as a strategy, mentioning international alliances as an example. Finally, Aguad warned about the difficulties of building a long-term state policy due to constant changes in approach between administrations. "Today there is an enormous need to change the defense law because in the world of the last 20 years everything has changed," he mentioned, referring to new threats such as "terrorism, cybersecurity, the issue of drug trafficking." "The Minister of Defense today, if General Presti assumes as lieutenant general, is the highest-ranking man the armed forces will have," so, in his view, "the role or function of the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, which has another role, disappears." The former minister differentiated two areas: "One thing is defense policy and another thing is the administration of the apparatus and the military instrument." "Without long-term policies, there is no possibility for the country to advance, develop, and integrate a policy that means improving the state of the nation," he sentenced, concluding that the ideological difference between presidents is one of the issues that has "held back the long term in Argentina". "They are two different things, they are two different roles". Aguad's central analysis for Radio Rivadavia focused on the military rank of the new minister. This confusion of roles in a single person, a military officer with the highest rank, could annul the political and strategic function of the portfolio. Presti: The Armed Forces must be up to the "new leading role" of the country. The former minister also stressed the pressing need for legislative reform.
