After Malvinas announcement, Argentina allocates funds to Ushuaia and Antarctic bases

Argentina has approved nearly 218 billion pesos in additional defense funding, including more than 200 billion pesos for two strategic base projects in Tierra del Fuego and Antarctica.

The decision followed President Javier Milei’s national address on the Malvinas Islands, in which he announced increased resources for the armed forces. The budget change, published in the Official Gazette under Decree 867/2026, assigns 206.373 billion pesos as long-term advances to suppliers and contractors. Defense officials said the money represents an initial allocation for an integrated naval base in Ushuaia and for completing Petrel Base in Antarctica.

Of that amount, 114.733 billion pesos goes directly to the Defense Ministry, 60.429 billion to the Army and 31.211 billion to the Air Force. A further 11.581 billion pesos covers current and capital spending, including 8.116 billion for the Navy, 2.946 billion for the Air Force and 519 million for the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Defense officials said those funds will cover operational needs such as fuel and services linked to the construction work.

The projects will be entered into the Public Investment Project Bank, and officials say the new works will go to tender rather than being awarded through direct contracts. The government estimates that completing the Ushuaia naval base will require a total investment of between $400 million and $500 million.

The same budget decree granted the State Intelligence Secretariat, known as SIDE, an additional 30.519 billion pesos. That represents a 20.85% increase over its previously available resources. The figures were analyzed by the Civil Association for Equality and Justice and confirmed to La Nación by official sources in the Defense Ministry and Foreign Ministry.