Overview
- Lt. Gen. Carlos Presti confirmed he will request a pase a disponibilidad, a regulated leave that lets him keep military status while serving as defense minister.
- Human-rights leader Estela de Carlotto condemned the appointment as a provocation, and former defense officials such as Julio Martínez argued Presti should retire before taking the civilian post.
- President Javier Milei and Presti appeared together at the Casa Rosada sables ceremony as officials weighed the timing of the oath, with scheduling shaped by the president’s December 5 trip to the United States.
- Reporting points to an impending reshuffle of the armed forces’ top brass, with deeper changes expected in the Navy, potential continuity in the Air Force, and uncertainty around Joint Chiefs head Xavier Isaac.
- Presti inherits urgent problems including a heavily indebted IOSFA health fund, low and distorted military pay and high attrition, alongside near-term showcases of Stryker vehicles and the first F-16 deliveries.