Argentine President Javier Milei said on Monday that “freedom faces a new set of internal and external enemies” and called for stronger military forces in an “increasingly complex and uncertain” world.
“For too long, our country’s military — which is responsible for confronting these external threats to freedom — has been demonized and underfunded,” he said. “This was the wrong path to take, and in order to stand our ground among the community of nations, we need well-trained and well-equipped armed forces.”
Milei led the official act on August 17, the day Argentina honors national hero José de San Martín. The ceremony took place at the Monument to the Liberator, located across from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Retiro.
The president was joined by his cabinet and Buenos Aires City Mayor Jorge Macri, with whom he began the ceremony by laying a floral offering after the national anthem was performed by the Grenadiers Regiment.
In a brief speech, Milei questioned the role the Argentine military has played since the country’s return to democracy following the 1976 coup.
Milei also tapped into immigration, highlighting the “challenge of restoring the security of our borders.”
In a veiled reference to Argentina’s current foreign policy of alignment with the US and Israel, the president stated that Argentina needs to choose geopolitical alliances “wisely” and fight “all forms of terrorism, always standing on the side of democracy.”
Milei also took aim at the opposition, warning that “the enemies of freedom exist and never rest,” and criticizing those who seek the return of Peronism.
“There are some who want to bring back the past we used to live in because, although the majority became poorer under the previous model, a tiny minority benefited enormously,” he said.
