Today, 115 years of Argentine presence in Antarctica are over

The white continent is currently home to 13 national basesSome operate all year round and others only during the summer. Antarctic activity is perhaps the most emblematic and oldest military civic task in the country..

The word Antarctica comes from the Greek antarkitkos, which means "in front of the Arctic"Arctic, in turn, means" of the bear "in reference to the boreal constellation called" Ursa Minor ".

With this definition, the official website of the National Antarctic Directorate begins its presentation on this circular continent 4,500 kilometers in diameter and 14,000,000 square kilometers in length, in which are deployed the 6 permanent bases and the 7 temporary bases, in which civilian professionals and members of the military personnel of the three armed forces mark not only the Argentine presence on the spot, but also they carry out important scientific studies They cover various fields.

Although we usually speak of "Argentine Antarctica", it is good to remember that Countries with scientific institutions do not have political sovereignty over the part of the continent that they occupy. The Antarctic Treaty which regulates activity in these frozen latitudes clearly sets the rules of the game and even determines a reciprocal inspection system that a country of inhabitant can take care of the settlements of another country for the sole purpose of checking compliance with the regulations in force in the region.

Currently 48 countries subscribe to international document on Antarctica, but only 29 have a hierarchy of executive members with the right to vote. The headquarters of the Antarctic Treaty Secretariat is located precisely in Buenos Aires.

The Argentine Antarctic effort is engaged, to a greater or lesser extent, in different fields of government action, Chancery, Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Science and Technology and Armed Forces Staff; They are the ones who usually shoulder most of the responsibility on the white continent. The National Antarctic Directorate reports to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

From the base "Carlini", located further north and therefore closer to the mainland, "up to Belgrano II", the southernmost, year after year, between late December and mid-April, a phenomenal logistic structure that plies the ships and planes of the armed forces to be able to supply them, relieves its staff, provides equipment for minor and major repairs, and even the fundamental mission of eliminating Antarctic waste and thus ensures the preservation of one of the purest regions of the planet.

Although the Antarctic campaigns as we know them today began in 1947, it was In January 1904, under the presidency of General Roca, the Argentine Republic bought the premises. what had been a temporary shelter for Scottish expeditionaries, under the command of William Speirs Bruce, had had unpleasant moments when they were trapped by the polar ice. The Argentine government officially takes possession of precarious facilities on February 22, 1904, being the same manager of the Ministry of Agriculture. The first crew that inhabited the settlement of Orkney included a meteorologist, a zoologist, a farmer and a "traditional" cook of the Scottish expedition.

Previously, in November 1903, a crew of Argentine sailors commanding the Lieutenant Julián Irizar came to the end of the world aboard a small ship, the Corvette Uruguay. At more than 100 years of this feat, the corvette rests on the pier 4 of Puerto Madero and the iconic icebreaker of the Argentine Navy bears the name of "Admiral Irizar", in the honor of the leader of this rescue expedition.

After going through different configurations, logistic support of Antarctic activity is currently in the hands of the Chiefs of Staff of the Armed Forces, through Joint Antarctic Command, in charge of Major General Justo Treviranus. The military leader talked about this new birthday with Infobae.

– What is the importance for the country to have Antarctic activity?
The importance has more than nothing to do with the strategic value that the continent has for the country. We not only make physical presence, but also science, the country makes a fundamental contribution to the national and international community. More and more countries are discovering the unique value of an Antarctic presence for a country.

–Antarctica being a zone of peace, what are the military doing there?
-Of course, in Antarctica, military activities are not carried out. We provide global logistic support in accordance with the political guidelines we have received from the Ministry of Defense and the directives of the Chiefs of Staff. We are simply deploying the land, air and naval badets that we have and which constitute a fundamental support for Argentine scientific activity.

-What is the annual deployment of Antarctic personnel and resources?
-We have six permanent bases and seven temporary bases (which are open only in the summer); badisting them not only requires military resources to support scientists integrating the resources of the white continent, but also mobilizing ships, planes and helicopters to establish the sea and air bridges needed for the union of the Americas. with the Antarctic continent. . There are hundreds of men and women, large aircraft like the Hercules C130 and others more versatile than the Twin Oter, logistics at the edge of the course, of course, the tool par excellence icebreaker Almirante Irizar, main logistic support.

-What does a military mean to the command of Antarctica?
– Personally, after more than 40 years of military life, it's a real honor, but the idea is to help the entire team that makes up the Antarctic effort. From the various commanders of units and base chiefs to each of the members of the 3 Armed Forces who have become remarkably integrated and who carry out their mission with precision and professionalism in the distant and frozen latitudes of the country.

It should be noted that, in the present, Icebreaker Irizar completes second leg of 2018/19 Antarctic campaignContinuing its task of reconstituting and renewing civilian and military endowments, there are still two stages with which it is estimated that it will continue on the high seas until at least mid-April.

Today, the staff badigned to the various bases has been congratulated by a radiogram. Next Tuesday, in the premises of the Bicentennial Museum, will be held the central event with the participation of the President of the Nation, Mauricio Macri.