What is Operation Roca and why Argentina deployed military forces on the border

After the resolution signed by Luis Petri, today the deployment of media and personnel began to the borders of the north and northeastern country

04/15/2025 – 16: 22hs

With the objective of hardening the fight against drug trafficking, smuggling and trafficking in persons, Argentina today entered a new stage after the resolution signed only a few days ago by Luis Petri, Minister of Defense, who gave the order to launch the operation today the operation President Julio Argentino Roca, summarized in Roca Operation. Resolution 347/2025 published in the Official Gazette, indicates that from April 15 to December 15, the Armed Forces will be deployed with media and personnel to the North and Northeast Border Security Zone.

The decision, based on the National Defense Law and the Internal Security Law, seeks to complement the work of security forces in border areas that do not legally enabled steps or urban areas. According to the recitals of the decree that formalizes the measure, this action is framed in the need for an “effective and priority protection” of the border areas, recognized for their “maximum relevance” for national defense.

Roca Operation: What is the deployment of the armed forces in the north

The deployment is carried out in accordance with Regulatory Decree No. 1112/2024, which enables the Ministry of Defense to intensify surveillance and control in border security areas by the Armed Forces. The measure also responds to a critical evaluation of previous operations such as “North Shield” and “Fortín”, which, according to the official analysis, failed to develop sustained surveillance and control capabilities in these strategic areas, limited to community support actions and emergency assistance.

The “Roca Operation” arises from joint coordination and planning between the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of National Security, seeking a complementary and delimited action of the Armed Forces, focusing on surveillance and control in specific areas of the border. The decree establishes that, during the execution of these operations, the members of the Armed Forces will guarantee their own safety and protection, with specific commitment rules that will determine their actions to possible aggressions that put their life or the necessary material for national defense at risk.

“We have a trained, trained and equipped army to control and guard our borders and face with professionalism the new challenges that threaten them,” said Luis Petri, Minister of Defense. This measure marks a new approach to the use of the armed forces in the safety of Argentine borders, prioritizing surveillance and control in areas considered sensitive and seeking greater effectiveness in the protection of the national territory.

Agreement of the Ministry of Defense with Banco Nación for Mortgage Loans

As reported by the Ministry on Social Networks during the last hours, Petri and the president of the National Bank, Daniel Tillard, signed an agreement to facilitate access to mortgage loans to all personnel dependent on the Ministry of Defense, Armed Forces and Institutes, who perceives their assets in the BNA. “The main benefit lies in the elimination of the permanent occupation status of the house and in greater flexibility in the requirements, opening the possibility of fulfilling the dream of their own house,” they said.