The visit lasted exactly six hours, but its political significance encapsulated the core of Argentina's new strategy in the South Atlantic . Following the announcement made on national television by President Javier Milei last Thursday, September 3, Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno and Defense Minister Lieutenant General Carlos Alberto Presti arrived in Tierra del Fuego this Friday, September 11, to inspect the Integrated Naval Base and Antarctic Logistics Hub project on-site. They were not alone; they were accompanied by the Chief of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Marcelo Dalle Nogare , and the Chief of the Navy, Juan Carlos Romay . Dalle Nogare, who was in charge of the Ushuaia Naval Base, is intimately familiar with the project.  

The staging sought to send an unequivocal message abroad, at a time when Donald Trump 's White House is questioning British military capabilities and key ministers in Israel are demanding the return of the Malvina Islands. Meanwhile, behind closed doors, the urgent needs of a government that requires a show of action, infrastructure projects, and a successful defense of sovereignty are laid bare, in the face of Rockhopper and Navitas' decision to begin extracting oil from the Sea Lion field starting in the first quarter of 2028.

The logbook of Quirno and Presti's visit  

The national delegation landed at Ushuaia International Airport at 10:00 AM this Friday, the 11th, aboard an Embraer liaison aircraft from the Argentine Air Force. The ground contingent consisted of the Fuegian libertarian political group, headed by National Deputies Miguel Rodríguez and Santiago Pauli , and National Senators Agustín Coto and María Belén Monte de Oca .  

The itinerary was developed under a tight schedule:

Commitments made: tenders, 2027 Budget and a 585-meter pier  

Facing the military leadership and local authorities, the two ministers formalized concrete commitments to try to break the inertia of neglect:

1.   Resources secured: Quirno confirmed that the Ministry of Defense already has administratively allocated funds from the 2026 fiscal year to begin the preliminary executive stage and ratified that the project will be formally protected as a priority in the 2027 Budget project that Luis Caputo will send to Congress this month.

2.   Tender package before year's end: Presti announced that "five or six public tenders" will be launched immediately for the purchase of critical materials and contracts.

3.   Start of construction in January: January 2027 was set as the deadline for the start of heavy earthmoving and civil works on the site.

4.   Infrastructure dimensions: The plan contemplates a total investment of USD 500 million in successive stages, the heart of which will be a 585-meter-long logistics and military pier, allowing the definitive relocation of the central base and providing Ushuaia with the capacity to offer Antarctic services to international fleets, challenging the logistics monopoly of Punta Arenas.

The visit capped off a highly charged week. With Milei forced to cancel his trip to London, Argentine diplomacy created the Foreign Relations Coordination System ( Decree 983/2026 ) and made its presence felt in Tierra del Fuego.