Thanks to Javier Milei, Argentina and the United Kingdom resume secret military dialogue

This rapprochement formally began in February 2024, when British defense attachés visited the Argentine Ministry of Defense, breaking a three-year pause without institutional contacts. This was followed by meetings between foreign ministers and technical staff, with partial agreements on visits by Argentine relatives to the graves on the islands, the reestablishment of direct flights, and the exchange of fishing information. Although not all of these commitments have been implemented, the bilateral tone has taken a positive turn.

In an unprecedented diplomatic turn since the end of the Falklands War, Argentina and the United Kingdom have reportedly resumed a channel of secret military dialogue, with the discreet mediation of the United States and in the context of a global geopolitical realignment that favors the strategic interests of the West. This was revealed by the influential British weekly The Economist, which indicated that both governments are exploring an understanding to improve bilateral cooperation in defense matters and eventually review the restrictions of the military embargo imposed by London in 1982.

The change in tone is not coincidental. The recent call by the Organization of American States (OAS) to the United Kingdom to "resume negotiations with Argentina as soon as possible" over the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands has added international pressure in favor of Argentina's claim. However, this time, the decisive push came from Washington: the U.S. Government reportedly urged London to ease its stance in light of Buenos Aires's renewed Atlantic alignment.

President Javier Milei, openly pro-Western and a staunch supporter of ties with the United States, has established as state policy the increase of the defense budget —0.5% to 2% of GDP in the coming years— with the goal of incorporating Argentina into the Western security framework, aligned with NATO. In this context, British restrictions on the export of arms and military technology continue to represent an obstacle that the Government seeks to remove with pragmatism and active diplomacy.

According to The Economist, senior American military officials visited southern Argentina on at least three occasions in the past two years, showing their growing concern about the presence of China and Russia in the South Atlantic and the Antarctic region. To prevent Argentina from turning to these actors as strategic suppliers, Washington reportedly pressured London to allow certain equipment sales, thus reactivating bilateral channels.