Presti reestablished military counterintelligence and repealed a Kirchnerist resolution by Nilda Garré.

Carlos Presti signed a resolution that restores military counterintelligence functions within the Armed Forces and eliminates a regulation in effect since 2006, promoted during Nilda Garré's administration.

The measure represents one of the most important reforms in defense and intelligence initiated by Javier Milei's government and aims to adapt the Argentine system to current threats related to terrorism, cyber warfare, foreign espionage, and hybrid operations.

The Government seeks to modernize the defense system

The resolution reorganizes the Defense Intelligence System (SIDEF) and reintegrates military intelligence and counterintelligence functions, which were separated during the Kirchner era under a doctrine that, according to the government, weakened the country's defensive capabilities.

One of the central changes establishes that military counterintelligence will depend on the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the Armed Forces, strengthening the joint leadership of the system.

The SIDEF will be composed of:

• The General Directorate of Intelligence of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

• Army Intelligence

• Navy Intelligence

• Air Force Intelligence

The Kirchnerism left the military system vulnerable

From the Ministry of Defense, they argue that the regulation promoted in 2006 during Nilda Garré's administration created an "atypical" situation regarding modern Western defense systems.

The resolution signed by Presti states that this doctrine:

• Fragmented complementary functions

• Weakened institutional protection

• Limited prevention capabilities

• Made the system vulnerable to external actors

The Government believes that for nearly two decades, the Armed Forces lacked adequate tools to respond to:

• Foreign espionage

• Infiltrations

• Sabotage

• Cyberattacks

• Psychological operations

• International terrorism

Hezbollah, Hamas, and hybrid threats

The official text explicitly mentions the growth of terrorist organizations such as:

• Hezbollah

• Hamas

Additionally, the Government warns about interference operations driven by foreign powers such as:

• China

• Russia

According to Defense, the new threats combine:

• Informational warfare

• Cyber warfare

• Cognitive operations

• Geopolitical pressure

• Transnational terrorism

The Ministry maintains that the terrorist attack by Hamas on October 7, 2023, in Israel highlighted the need to review defense doctrines and strengthen military intelligence systems.

Cooperation with the United States and counter-terrorism efforts

The reform is part of a broader reconfiguration of the intelligence system promoted by the Milei administration.

In recent months:

• The SIDE inaugurated the National Counterterrorism Center (CNA)

• Cooperation with the FBI was strengthened

• Intelligence sharing with the United States was deepened

The official goal is to bring the Argentine system closer to standards used by Western countries in the face of the advance of terrorism and hybrid threats.

The Government clarifies that it does not authorize internal espionage

One of the central points of the resolution is that it maintains all legal restrictions related to internal espionage.

The text expressly prohibits:

• Investigating political activities

• Conducting tasks on social or union organizations

• Obtaining information for ideological, religious, or partisan reasons

• Influencing the institutional situation of the country

From Defense, they emphasize that the exclusive objective is to strengthen capabilities against external threats.

Milei advances with a profound reform of the intelligence system

The resolution signed by Presti sets:

• 90 days to adapt military doctrine

• 120 days to reorganize and equip the new counterintelligence areas

In the Casa Rosada, they believe that the measure corrects a "structural anomaly" inherited from Kirchnerism and allows for the recovery of basic institutional self-protection capabilities.

For the government, the new global scenario requires the Argentine Armed Forces to be able to respond to:

• International terrorism

• Foreign espionage

• Cyberattacks

• Psychological operations

• Transnational criminal organizations

The decision marks a new step in the Government's strategy to reinforce the areas of defense, intelligence, and national security under a logic of Western cooperation and combat against modern hybrid threats.