Six days after Agenda Malvinas published the first images of tactical gear and military equipment bearing US Infantry insignia on the tarmac at Malvinas Argentinas International Airport, the Argentine Navy broke its institutional silence. Through a brief post on its official website, Gaceta Marinera , the naval force confirmed the presence of Pentagon troops in the capital of Tierra del Fuego, framing the activities as an “exchange of experts in cold-weather environments.”

The official statement specified that the deployment involves personnel from the 4th Marine Infantry Battalion (BIM 4) and eight members of the United States Marine Corps (USMC) . According to the military report, the exercises began on Tuesday, September 8, and will continue uninterrupted until Tuesday, September 22, covering low-altitude mountaineering, extreme cold, crampon use, alpine skiing, rope teams, self-arrest maneuvers, and survival techniques in hostile geographical environments.

The justification for the “routine exchange” and the unanswered questions

In response to journalistic inquiries from elDiarioAR regarding the regulatory framework for these maneuvers in the south, Navy sources indicated: “This exchange has been taking place every year since 2017, as is done with Peru, Brazil, and Chile.”

However, naval spokespeople could not specify whether the contingent has the proper authorization from the National Congress or whether the operations are based on a decree from the Executive Branch.

The official response, instead of clearing up the doubts, opened up a series of institutional questions about the deployment in Tierra del Fuego:

The demand for transparency in a strategic enclave

The physical presence of foreign uniformed personnel carrying tactical gear in full view of civilian passengers at Ushuaia airport is not a minor logistical detail. These are military activities taking place in the urban and geographical heart of Tierra del Fuego, the hub of Argentina's Antarctic projection and a province whose sovereign and insular territory is partially usurped by a NATO military power.

The Navy's belated admission confirms the veracity of the movements observed in recent days. What still demands a public and transparent explanation from the Ministry of Defense and the Foreign Ministry is the precise legal framework: whether Parliament was notified, the scope of these bilateral agreements, and under what legal protection foreign military personnel are conducting training exercises in a territory subject to constant sovereignty disputes.