Argentine Civil-Military Relations
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F rom the Foreword to Argentine Civil-Military Relations Argentine Civil-Military Relations: From Alfonsín to Menem This book is an important contribution to the Argentine much-needed institutional analysis of the evolution of democratic governance in Argentina. Huser uses the constructs of political culture, organization of the state, and political economy as the pillars of his analytical framework, especially emphasizing political Civil-Military culture to explain Argentina’s difficulty in coming to grips with the civil-military problem- atique. Further analyses of the workings of the institutional underpinnings of successful governance and functional civil-military Relations relations are needed in Argentina and many other countries of Latin America, where, after more than a decade of reforms, civilian From Alfonsín to Menem leadership is often the absent element in the civil-military equation. —Margaret Daly Hayes HUSER Director, Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies Herbert C. Huser The mission of the Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies is to develop academic programs for educating primarily civilians in planning and management of defense and security; for familiarizing civilians with the military profession and military affairs; and for studying the defense policymaking process in general. In addition, the Center is charged with promoting civil-military collaboration on defense matters and with encouraging national, regional, and international dialogue regarding defense themes. To accomplish this, the Center conducts a core course on Defense Planning and Resource Management, and a specialized course on Defense Economics and Budgeting. In addition, it holds seminars and conferences, and promotes research, A PUBLICATION OF THE teaching, outreach, and dialogue on defense and security matters. For more information, visit the Center’s Web site at: http://www3.ndu.edu/chds/ CENTER FOR HEMISPHERIC DEFENSE STUDIES English/History/sMessage.htm NATIONAL DEFENSE UNIVERSITY Argentine Civil-Military Relations From Alfonsín to Menem Argentine Civil-Military Relations From Alfonsín to Menem by Herbert C. Huser A Publication of the Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies NATIONAL DEFENSE UNIVERSITY PRESS WASHINGTON, D.C. 2002 Opinions, conclusions, and recommendations expressed or implied within are solely those of the contributors and do not necessarily represent the views of the Defense Department or any other agency of the Federal Government. Cleared for public release; distribution unlimited. Portions of this book may be quoted or reprinted without permission, provided that a standard source credit line is included. NDU Press would appreciate a courtesy copy of reprints or reviews. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Huser, Herbert C. Argentine civil-military relations : from Alfonsín to Menem / by Herbert C. Huser p.cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 1–57906–059–5 1. Civil-military—Argentina—History—20th century. I. Title. JL2020.C58 H88 2002 322’.5’098209048—dc21 2002011812 First Printing, November 2002 NDU Press publications are sold by the U.S. Government Printing Office. For ordering infor- mation, call (202) 512–1800 or write to the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402. For GPO publications on-line access their Web site at: http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/sale.html. For current publications of the Institute for National Strategic Studies, consult the National Defense University Web site at: http://www.ndu.edu. Contents Foreword by Margaret Daly Hayes ........... xi Chapter One Introduction.............................. 3 Chapter Two The Nature of Argentine Civil-Military Relations ................................. 7 Political Culture—The State—Power Relationships—Political Economy—Conceptual Framework for Civil-Military Relations Chapter Three Argentine Political Evolution and Civil-Military Relations ................ 27 Era One: 1810–1870—Era Two: 1870–1930— Era Three: 1930–1983—Transition Chapter Four Military Reform under Alfonsín............. 53 Mission and Organization—Education and Socialization Chapter Five Review of the Past, Rebellion, and Reconciliation under Alfonsín .......... 91 Legacy of the Dirty War—The Uprisings—The Alfonsín Legacy vii viii ARGENTINE CIVIL–MILITARY RELATIONS Chapter Six The First Menem Administration: Reconciliation Continued .................. 125 Pressing Issues—Looming Unrest—Defense Policy— Military Policy—Education and Training—Restructuring Chapter Seven The Second Menem Administration: Roles, Resources, and Restructuring ......... 167 Civil-Miliary Relationship Issues—Contemporary Roles and Missions—Resources for the “Smaller, Better” Force—Restructuring: Codifying Civil-Military Relations—The Menem Legacy—Reflections Appendix: Defense Organization ............ 197 Notes .................................... 203 List of Interviews .......................... 225 Selected Bibliography ...................... 229 Index .................................... 239 About the Author ......................... 253 CONTENTS ix Illustrations Tables 1. Taxonomy of Political Roles of the Military .............. 20 2. Retirements and Promotions: Highest-Ranking Officers (December 1983–January 1989) ..................... 67 3. Average Tenure in Position: Highest-Ranking Officers (December 1983–January 1989) ..................... 69 4. Total Army Personnel (1983–1989) ................... 80 5. Arms Imports (1973–1989) ....................... 82 6. Two Decades of Military Conscription (1973–1994) .......... 151 7. Military and Civilian Personnel Strength (March 1999) ........ 184 Figures 1. Currents in Political Culture ....................... 25 2. Relationship between the Armed Forces and Security Forces Budget and the Gross Domestic Product (1970–1988) ..... 77 3. End Strengths of Active-Duty Army Personnel (1985–1992) ..... 150 4. Comparisons of Personnel Status: Active, Retired, and Pensioned .............................. 152 5. Projected Army Organization and Deployment (1995) ........ 163 6. Participation in Combined Exercises (1991–1999) ........... 182 7. Defense Budgets (1992–1998) ...................... 186 8. Military Restructuring System ...................... 190 Foreword s this book goes to press, Argentina is once more in the throes of political crisis. At the close of 2001, Fernando de la Rua, Ar- A gentina’s third popularly elected president since the military gov- ernment of 1976 to 1983, resigned just 2 years into his term. A constitu- tional successor resigned after a week, having irritated the factions in his own party to the extent that they refused to support him. Riots that caused the deaths of 26 citizens and 13 police brought the third interim president down. Then more rioters broke into the halls of Congress and set fire to the building, causing the fall of the next successor. A commentator for La Nación observed that Argentina was living a “crisis without precedent” and that its political leadership was playing its last card. When Eduardo Duhalde assumed the leadership of a hastily assembled unity govern- ment—the fifth president in 2 weeks—he addressed the Argentine people, saying: “The country is broken.” Amidst this chaos, where were the military? Long the arbiters of Ar- gentine politics in the 20th century, throughout the 3 weeks of political and economic crisis, the military remained secure in their barracks while the police handled the rioters. The armed forces leadership was approached, but their response to civilian appeals for military action to restore order was, “Only when commanded to do so by law of Congress.” Military lead- ers demonstrated their clear understanding of the armed forces’ objective role in Argentine society. Herbert Huser’s book tells the story of the evolution of civil-military relations in Argentina from the late 1970s through 1999 and the inaugu- ration of President Fernando de la Rua. It is a story of lessons learned and not learned by both the military institution and the civilian leadership. Huser observes that “the civilian contenders in Argentine politics have been inconsistent about the objective place of the military within the state xi xii ARGENTINE CIVIL–MILITARY RELATIONS apparatus.” This may be the keystone of Huser’s account: civilian politi- cians tried, throughout some 20 years, to impose subjective controls over the once-powerful armed forces through budget cuts, personnel reduc- tions, and limits on the scope of roles and missions. Where they often failed, however, was to provide the civilian leadership and direction that the military profoundly desired. More than a handful of books cover the Argentine political transition and civil-military relations in that country. The analysis at hand comple- ments these other assessments in a number of ways. First, Huser may be the only recent author who has brought a thorough understanding of the military institution itself to the study. A retired Army officer who served more than 6 years in Argentina between 1969 and 1984, Colonel Huser un- derstands better than most the impact of budget constraints, failure to maintain readiness, phantom regiments, and blind insistence on service autonomy while facing growing demands for shared activities—joint- ness—and even about bureaucratic stubbornness. Huser also understands the idealized system of civilian command and control of the military that Samuel Huntington made popular in The Soldier and the State, which was published in 1957. His assessment of the