The governor of Georgia, Brian Kemp, arrived in Argentina as part of a tour of Latin America that also included Brazil. The Republican leader, who is close to Donald Trump, seeks to promote bilateral relations in economic and military matters, and already has scheduled meetings with the Minister of Defense, Luis Petri, and the Chief of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Xavier Isaac. A meeting with Javier Milei at Casa Rosada is also not ruled out.
Kemp arrived accompanied by his wife, Marty Kemp, and by officials from his administration, such as the Commissioner of Agriculture, Tyler Harper, as well as members of the Georgia Department of Economic Development. His agenda includes visits to Argentine companies with a presence in his state, such as Bersa, a weapons manufacturer, and AGCO, dedicated to agricultural machinery.
Military cooperation in Atucha
El gobernador de Georgia llegó a la Argentina y podría reunirse con Milei
In parallel with the political visit, this week saw the deployment of General Richard "Dwayne" Wilson, head of the Georgia National Guard, who will oversee a joint exercise with the Argentine Armed Forces at the Atucha nuclear plant. The activity is part of the military cooperation treaty signed between both countries and is related to security preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The drill will include school evacuations, vehicle decontamination drills, ingestion of iodine tablets, radiation measurement flights, and emergency communication operations. Security forces such as the Gendarmerie, Coast Guard, Federal Police, Buenos Aires Police, volunteer firefighters, as well as agencies such as Trenes Argentinos, Civil Defense, and the Nuclear Regulatory Authority will participate.
Security preparations for the 2026 World Cup
El gobernador de Georgia llegó a la Argentina y podría reunirse con Milei
The operation provides for the involvement of different branches of the Armed Forces: the Army will deploy the QBN Engineers Company and Emergency Support 601 for decontamination tasks, while the Navy will set up evacuation centers and river transfers. The Air Force, meanwhile, will conduct monitoring flights over the hypothetical radioactive cloud.
These exercises are part of a series of joint drills that have been taking place since the beginning of the month and will culminate in December, when an Argentine delegation will travel to Atlanta to conduct a final drill at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, which will host one of the World Cup semifinals.
