ARMY VIEWS ON THE REORGANIZATION OF THE ARMED FORCES AND ON ARMED FORCES RELATIONS WITH THE INCOMING CIVILIAN GOVERNMENT - 1983/11/30

• Document Type: SPECIALCOLLECTION
• Collection: Argentina Declassification Project - The "Dirty War" (1976-83)
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 06702774
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: April 3, 2019
• Document Release Date: April 12, 2019
• Publication Date: November 30, 1983

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SUBJ: ARMY VIEWS ON THE REORGANIZATION OF THE
ARMED FORCES AND ON ARMED FORCES RELATIONS WITH THE INCOMING
CIVILIAN GOVERNMENT
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
301408Z CIA 761219WARNING: INFORMATION REPORT, NOT FINALLY
EVALUATED INTELLIGENCE.
REPORT CLASS.L.E.EF-1---WNINTEL-
DIST: 30 NOVEMBER 1983
COUNTRY: ARGENTINA
SUBJ: ARMY VIEWS ON THE REORGANIZATION OF THE ARMED
FORCES AND ON ARMED FORCES RELATIONS WITH THE
INCOMING CIVILIAN GOVERNMENT
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SUMMARY. THE SECRETARY GENERAL OF THE ARMY PRESENTED TO
PRESIDENT-ELECT RUAL ((ALFONSIN)) AN ARMY-PREPARED PROPOSAL
FOR THE REORGANIZATION OF ARGENTINE ARMED FORCES ((FFAA)) WHEN
THE TWO MEN MET ON 10 NOVEMBER 1983. ARMY OFFICERS PREPARED
THE PROPOSAL BECAUSE THEY OBJECT TO A REORGANIZATION PLAN
PREPARED BY AN ADVISOR OF ALFONSIN. ARMED FORCES OFFICERS
DO NOT BELIEVE THAT THE SELECTION OF RUAL ((3ORRAS)) IS
PARTICULARLY FAVORABLE FOR THE FFAA. OFFICERS, INCLUDING
THOSE FAVORING THE RETURN TO A CIVILIAN GOVERNMENT, SEE THE
DISAPPEARED ISSUE AS POTENTIALLY TROUBLESOME FOR ALFONSIN.
MANY OFFICERS HAVE BEGUN TO TALK ABOUT A SENSE OF UNCERTAINTY
WHICH HAS COME ABOUT BECAUSE OF THE SILENCE OF THE GOVERNMENT-
ELECT ON THE SUBJECTS OF RETIREMENTS IN THE ARMED
FORCES AND THE REORGANIZATION OF THE FFAA.
TEXT: 1. WHEN HE MET WITH PRESIDENT-ELECT RUAL ALFONSIN))
ON 10 NOVEMBER 1983, MAJOR GENERAL (MG) MARIO ((PIOTTI)),
SECRETARY GENERAL OF THE ARMY, LEFT WITH ALFONSIN AN ARMY-
PREPARED PLAN FOR THE REORGANIZATION OF THE ARGENTINE ARMED.
FORCES ((FFAA)). UNDER THIS ARMY PROPOSAL, AUTHORITY AND THE
CHAIN OF COMMAND WOULD. FLOW FROM THE MINISTER OF DEFENSE
THROUGH A CHIEF OF THE JOINT GENERAL STAFF TO THE CHIEFS OF
STAFF -- ALL THREE ACTIVE DUTY OFFICERS -- OF EACH SERVICE..
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COMMENT: ALFONSIN
MIGHT ACCEPT THIS RE tI.-:411�0 AL, WHICH IS BASED
ON A FRENCH CONCEPT. OFFICERS OF ALL
THREE SERVICES GENERALLY FIND THE PROPOSAL ACCEPTABLE, EVEN
THOUGH AIR FORCE OFFICERS HAVE EXPRESSED SOME RESERVATIONS
ABOUT IT.)
2. ARMY OFFICERS PREPARED THEIR REORGANIZATION PROPOSAL
AS A COUNTER TO A PLAN SUBMITTED BY RETIRED ARMY COLONEL
GUSTAVO ((CACERES)), AN ADVISOR TO ALFONSIN. THEY DID NOT
LIKE CACERS PLAN WHICH, BASED ON THE U.S. MODEL, CALLED
FOR SERVICE SECRETARIES SELECTED FROM RETIRED OFFICERS
TO SERVE IN E THE CHAIN OF COMMAND BETWEEN THE DEFENSE
MINISTER AND THE SERVICE CHIEFS OF STAFF. THE ARMY ,OFFICERS
OBJECT TO THE CACERES PLAN BECAUSE IT INVOLVED RECALLING
RETIRED OFFICERS TO ACTIVE DUTY TO SERVE AS THE SERVICE
SECRETARIES: THEY BELIEVE THAT RETIRED OFFICERS WOULD BE OUT
OF TOUCH WITH THE ARMED FORCES AND WOULD NOT BE ABREAST OF
RECENT DEVELOPMENTS INVOLVING THE FFAA. ( COMMENT:
CURIOUSLY, HOWEVER, THE ARMY REORGANIZATION PROPOSAL WOULD
PERMIT THE GOVERNMENT TO RECALL A RETIRED OFFICER TO ACTIVE
DUTY TO SERVE AS CHIEF OF THE JOINT GENERAL STAFF.)
3. AS OF EARLY IN THE FOURTH WEEK OF NOVEMBER, OFFICERS
FROM THE ARMY AND FROM THE OTHER SERVICES INDICATED THAT
THEY DO NOT BELIEVE THAT THE SELECTION OF RUAL ((BORRAS))
AS MINISTER OF DEFENSE-DESIGNATE IS PARTICULARLY FAVORABLE
FOR THE FFAA. THEY BASE THIS ATTITUDE LARGELY ON THE FACT
THAT BORRAS IS AN UNKNOWN QUANTITIY TO THEM. THEY SAY,
ON THE OTHER HAND, THAT JUAN CARLOS ((PUGLIESE)), AN EARLY
CANDIDATE FOR THE DEFENSE PORTFOLIO WHO INSTEAD WILL LEAD THE
MAJORITY BLOC OF THE RADICAL CIVIC UNION (UCR) IN THE
R OF DEPUTIES, IS WELL KNOWN TO, AND RESPECTED
BY, ARMED FORCES OFFICERS AND, THEY CLAIM, WOULD HAVE ALLOWED
THEM TO CARRY OUT THEIR DUTIES WITH LITTLE INTERFERENCE..
THE OFFICERS DO NOT EXPECT BORRAS TO PERMIT THEM THIS
FREEDOM OF ACTION IN REGARD TO INTERNAL SERVICE AFFAIRS.
4. IN ADDITION TO THEIR CONCERNS ABOUT THE REORGANIZATION
OF THE ARMED FORCES AND ABOUT THE SELECTION OF THE DEFENSE
MINISTER-DESIGNATE, FFAA OFFICERS CONTINUE TO SHOW PREOCCUPA-
TION WITH THE MANNER IN WHICH THE CIVILIAN GOVERNMENT MIGHT
DEAL WITH PERSONNEL INVOLVED IN THE DISAPPEARANCES OF
INDIVIDUALS DURING THE COUNTERSUBVERSIVE CAMPAIGN OF THE
1970'S. ALTHOUGH THIS PREOCCUPATION EXISTS ESPECIALLY
AMONG.OFFICERS ASSIGNED TO THE INTELLIGENCE SERVICES, IT
EXTENDS GENERALLY THROUGH OUT THE FFAA. EVEN OFFICERS WHO
SUPPORT THE RETURN TO A 'CIVILIAN GOVERNMENT BELIEVE THAT
ALFONSIN MUST DEAL CAUTIOUSLY AND SLOWLY WITH THE DISAPPEAR-
ANCES ISSUE; THEY ALSO BELIEVE THAT, IF ALFONSIN MOVES
PRECIPITATELY, HE COULD CAUSE COMPLICATIONS FOR HIS GOVERN-
MENT. THESE OFFICERS HOLD, TOO, THAT CONGRESSIONAL
INVOLVEMENT IN THE ISSUE ALSO COULD PROVE TROUBLESOME FOR
THE GOVERNMENT. ADDITIONALLY, A NUMBER OF FFAA OFFICERS
ARE DISTURBED BY RECENT ACTIONS OF MILITARY GOVERNMENT-
APPOINTED JUDGES, AND BY THE PUBLICITY GIVEN TO THESE
ACTIONS, IN REGARD TO ACTIVE DUTY AND RETIRED OFFICERS
ALLEGEDLY INVOLVED IN CRIMINAL ACTIVITY -- ACTIVITY WHICH,
IN SOME CASES, APPEARS RELATED TO THE COUNTERSUBVERSIVE
CAMPAIGN.
5. MANY FFAA OFFICERS HAVE BEGUN TO TALK ABOUT A SENSE
OF INSECURITY WHICH, THEY CLAIM, HAS ARISEN BECAUSE OF THE
LACK OF INFORMATION CONCERNING THE NUBMER OF OFFICERS WHOM
THE NEW GOVERNMENT WILL RETIRE, A DECISION THAT WILL HAVE
RAMIFICATIONS THROUGHOUT THE OFFICER CORPS OF THE THREE
SERVICES. THESE OFFICERS ALSO HOLD THAT THE REFUSAL OF
THE GOVERNMENT-ELECT TO ANNOUNCE ITS PLANS FOR THE REORGAN-
IZATION OF THE FFAA HAS CONTRIBUTED TO THIS SENSE OF
UNCERTAINTY. BECAUSE OF THIS UNCERTAINTY, THE OFFICERS SAY,
THE INITIATIVE FOR ARMED FORCES MATTERS INVOLVED THE
GOVERNMENT-ELECT HAS PASSED TO THE CIVILIAN.
WARNING: REPORT CLASS S --WARNING NOTICE-
INTELLIGENCE SOURCES OR METHODS INVOLVEDI
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