1. Defense System structure
The Defense System involves several national authorities, institutions and organizations that coordinate inter-jurisdictional activities, and is based on the society as a whole.
Defense System's aims
The organization of the National Defense System is aimed at managing, governing and administering its sub-systems, so as to accomplish a high level National Defense in accordance with the requirements of the country.
The main goals of the system can be summarized as follows:
. Inception and design of a national defense strategy which should basically include the following elements:
• Threats and risks to national interests, comprising them into scenarios and determining their seriousness and likelihood of occurrence
• The strategic conception to prevent them, avoid them and, if necessary, to cope with them.
. Develop plans to prepare the entire nation for eventual armed conflicts.
. Develop planning activities both at a military and operational strategic
level.
. Conduct war in all levels, including
the national strategic level.
• Conduct the Armed Forces and sectors in the country affected by the conflict involved at a military and operational strategic level.
. Prepare and execute national mobilization actions.
. Ensure the execution of joint and, eventually, combined military operations.
• Establish points of convergence in order to establish possible alliances.
Part V - Management of Defense
System components
Members of the Defense System include:
. The President of the Nation and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.
. The National Defense Council (CODENA).
. The National Congress, which plays two major roles:
. Exercising its constitutional powers already mentioned in Chapter 4.
. On a daily basis, through the House and Senate Defense Committees and other specialized committees, which hold meetings with the Ministers that assist the Executive Branch, and through annual and periodic reports.
. The Ministry of Defense.
. The Joint Staff of the Armed Forces (JSAF).
. The Army, the Navy and Air Force.
. The Security Forces (National Gendarmerie and Coast Guard), as established by law.
• The Argentine people, through their active involvement in compliance with the laws that require mobilization; civil service and civil defense.
CODENA (National Defense Council)
CODENA is the legal body that provides assistance and advice to the President of the Nation: being the Ministry of Defense its working body.
Permanent members
• The President, who chairs the Council and will adopts decisions in all cases.
• The Vice-President.
• The Ministers
. The chief of the highest-level intelligence agency.
Optional members
. The chairman of the Defense Committees from both Houses of Congress
. Two members from such Committees, one for the majority party and one for the minority
Possible members
. The Chief of the Joint Staff of the Armed Forces, accompanying the Minister of Defense at the hitter's convenience.
. The Chiefs of the Army, Navy and Air Force General Staffs, accompanying the Minister of Defense at the hitter's convenience.
Occasional participants
. Other authorities or members of other government branches or specialists, as determined by tho President.
11-92
Chapter 11 - Fundamental Concepts and Structures of Defense
Nary tactical divers (seals) operating with SH3 Naiy helicopter.
. National Strategy Working Team (GRUTEN)
* National Strategy Team (GAEN)
. National Mobilization Working Team (GRUMO17)
These teams are formed by personnel from the Ministry, the Armed Forces and the concerned
government organizations .
Whenever the President may deem necessary, a reduced CODENA team is summoned to act as a Defense cabinet to advise and assist him in the exercise of his political and strategic management of Defense matters, crisis management and supervision.
National Defense Council's Secretariat (SECODENA)
This body is headed by the Secretary of Military Affairs under the Ministry of Defense, who uses his own organization.
Its mission is to promote and implement the necessary actions to assist the
CODENA or the Defense cabinet.
The following arc the SECODENA's working teams created to accomplish its mission:
Crisis Committee
This organization assists and advises the President of the Nation in the
military conduct of war and the management of Operational Strategic Commands.
Its members are the following:
. The Minister of Defense, who is in charge of coordinating its actions.
. The Chief of the Joint Staff of the Armed Forces
. The Chiefs of the Army, Navy and Air Force (ieneral Stalls.
The Joint Staff of the Armed Forces will be its working body, and its Deputy Chief will act as the Committee's
Secretary.
Part V - Management of Defense
Service Chiefs of Staff Committee (COMIJEM)
As we have seen, the idea of jointness plays an essential role in the Defense policy and it is considered one of the cornerstones of the system.
This joint body was created in order to help achieve the above mentioned objective. The Chief of the Joint Staff chairs the COMIJEM and the Chiefs of the Army, Navy and Air Force General Staffs are the members to this committee, which ensures and provides for the
continuity of such activities aimed at enhancing jointness. As a result of its similarity to the Crisis Committee, the COMIJEM can perform both roles.
The COMIJEM reports to the Ministry of Defense and its main missions are the following:
. To be responsible for:
. Setting priorities regarding resources necessary to meet operational requirements.
. Integrating and/or complementing communications and electronic warfare.
. To be involved in:
. Military organizational changes aimed at implementing jointness.
• Military mobilization requirements.
. Military strategic intelligence.
• To participate in:
. The production of the annual budget for the Armed Forces and the pertinent general plan for equipping them.
. Assist the Minister of Defense in:
. Issues concerning human resources required for the Armed Forces Reserve.
• Producing the Armed Forces Joint Mobilization Plan.
. The coordination of Armed Forces' common aspects, especially as regards administration, legal matters and logistics.
The Armed Forces
The Armed Forces of Argentina comprise the Army, Navy and Air Force.
They constitute the Military
Instrument of our National Defense and include personnel and equipment
organized under a chain of command responsible for the conduct of all its subordinates.
The Armed Forces have to comply with an internal discipline regime and are governed in their actions by national and international laws applicable to armed conflict. This is one of the pillars of our country's defense policy.
The Chiefs of the Army, Navy and Air Force General Staffs report to the Minister of Defense by delegation from the President and maintain a functional 11-94
Chapter 11 - Fundamental Concepts and Structures of Defense
relation with the Joint Staff as regards joint military actions.
Responsibility of the Security Forces
The Security Forces include the National Gendarmerie and the Argentine Coast Guard. In 1996, as part of the comprehensive Government Reform process, a political decision was made to transfer both organizations from the area of the Ministry of Defense to the
Ministry of the Interior. This decision was embodied in Executive Branch Decree No.
660.
One of the Security Forces' basic missions as regards national defense is the control and surveillance of our borders, surrounding waters, and the custody of strategic facilities. Under current
legislation that integrates these forces into the System of National Defense, their human resources and equipment, or a part of them, will be assigned to the Operational Strategic Commands and territorial commands, in accordance with the evolution of the conflict involved and the pertinent planning.
2. Basis for territorial and operational organization
The President is empowered by law to establish TJieaters of Operations,
determining the corresponding geographic
areas. Commanders-in-Chief (CINC's) are appointed by the President and report to him directly: they are responsible for the military conduct of operations in the assigned territory.
In such cases, the powers of
constitutional authorities remain in full force, and the Commander of the Theater of Operations must coordinate with the civilian authority the actions required to accomplish his mission.
In the case of a federal intervention pursuant to Article 6 of our National Constitution, an exception to this principle will be made only if circumstances make it absolutely unavoidable. Even in this case, the Judiciary will retain its full powers.
With the previous approval of Congress, the President can define
Army parachuters in an airborne exercise.
Part V - Management of Defense
DEFENSE SYSTEM ORGANIZATION
GRUTEN GAEN
GRUMOVI
3*
National Defenseco±i,
.CouncjJ Secretary.DEFENSE STAFF