Luis Petri submitted his resignation from the Ministry of Defense, effective December 9, and published an extensive letter addressed to President Javier Milei, in which he reviewed the milestones of his administration, defended the role of the Armed Forces, and delivered a forceful political message praising the entire cabinet: "The mission is accomplished". The native of Mendoza will now take his seat in the Chamber of Deputies, elected on October 26.
In the letter, Petri states that having served as minister during Milei's presidency will remain "engraved in his memory and in his heart", and recalls that his appointment came with a mission of enormous significance: to rebuild the operational capacity of the defense system, modernize critical equipment, and support the men and women of the Armed Forces after decades of disinvestment, persecution, and cancellation under Kirchnerist governments.
The former minister also reviewed the historic role of the Armed Forces in Argentina's independence and emphasized that recovering that legacy was an essential step to project the institution into the future. According to his account, today they play a central role in territorial defense, the protection of resources in the exclusive economic zone, and assistance to the population in emergencies, mentioning operations in Salta, Misiones, Jujuy, Bahía Blanca, Zárate, Campana, Córdoba, Bariloche, and El Bolsón.
Petri stressed that, in these two years, a historic transformation process was carried out following Milei's directives as Commander in Chief: doctrinal modernization, equipment recovery, strengthening of training with allied countries, and reforms in the training of cadets and volunteer soldiers. He assured that, thanks to the President's ongoing support, it was possible to undertake reforms that for years seemed impossible and to restore to military and civilian personnel the pride of belonging to Armed Forces "respected and valued by society".
