In a major geopolitical repositioning, the United States gave the green light to Denmark to proceed with the sale of F-16 aircraft to Argentina. The agreement was announced by Mira Resnick, Undersecretary of Regional Security of the United States Department of State in Argentina.
The officialization of the approval of the sale does not mean the decision of Argentina for the plane. If speeding up the process. This follows the approval of the Third Party Transfer (TPT) document, as well as the lack of objections from the US Senate.
According to La Nación, Resnick said: “We officially announced the agreement of the United States to the government of Denmark and we are now working directly with the government of Argentina to complete this process”. In addition, he highlighted a US $ 40 million funding plan that his country intends to establish to facilitate Argentina’s acquisition of F-16s.
The purchase sought by Argentina is of great strategic interest for the United States. The North American country is in direct competition with China, which formally offered Argentina for the Chengdu JF-17. The United States has completed all the necessary procedures to allow Argentina to choose the fighter jet. The final decision is in the hands of the Argentine government.
Election decision
Argentina is only 10 days away from its presidential elections. High political polarization and the possibility of an opposition candidate winning raised doubts about the materialization of the purchase. In addition, the trans-Andean government did not provide more information and even continued to evaluate the options of China and India.
Everything indicates that the responsibility for procurement will remain in the hands of the next government. A process that does not ensure a quick decision considering the installation processes and checks made by a new administration in relation to the previous one. The most favorable scenario is that the official candidate, Sergio Massa, gets a victory to ensure the continuation of the process.
Regional cooperation
Another point emphasized by Resnick is the importance of regional cooperation. In that sense, he expressed that “The F-16 is a reliable and proven platform that will allow regular training and exercises to be carried out to increase Argentina’s interoperability with its neighbors and the United States”. The words make a direct reference to Chile as the current most important regional operator of the F-16.
“It builds relationships. “This is an opportunity for both countries to face each other’s threats, and it is a ship that many countries around the world are operating and demonstrating its capacity for military modernization.”complete.
