Austral: Brazilian Journal of Strategy & International Relations | e-ISSN 2238-6912 | ISSN 2238-6262| v.3, n.6, Jul.-Dec. 2014 | p.141-164 THE STRATEGIC MILITARY PLANNING IN ARGENTINA (2003-2013): REFLECTIONS ON THE POLITICAL ADMINISTRATION OF DEFENSE Luciano Anzelini1, Iván Poczynok2 1. Introduction The national defense policy of Argentina has experienced advances and regressions since the democratic return in 1983. This result has been connected to the dynamics that civil-military relations have inherited from the dictatorial period. The necessity to subordinate the Armed Forces dominated the defense agenda during most part of the democratic period, constituting the core problem of this jurisdiction. The democratic governments implemented various initiatives that underpinned the civil control of the Armed Forces and that also caused, from a normative point of view, what has been characterised as a “basic consensus”. These measures restricted the autonomy of the men in uniform, whether through the demilitarization of civil functions or through the specific delimitation of the martial responsibilities. 1 International Relations and Political Science Professor at Universidad de Buenos Aires and Universidad Nacional de Quilmes. PhD researcher of the Gino Germani Research Institute at the Faculty of Social Sciences of (UBA) and invited researcher of the Social Sciences Department of Universidad Nacional de Quilmes. E-mail:
[email protected]. 2 Sociology Professor at Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA). Researcher of the Gino Germani Research Institute at the Faculty of Social Sciences of (UBA) and invited researcher of the Social Sciences Department of Universidad Nacional de Quilmes. E-mail:
[email protected]. 141 The Military Strategic Planning in Argentina (2003-2013): Reflections on the Political Administration of Defense v.3, n.6.