The Argentine Joint Special Operations Command (CCFOE) and U.S. Special Operations Command South (SOCSOUTH) are enhancing their strategic cooperation for a more secure region. The collaboration includes joint exercises, subject matter expert exchanges, and shared operational practices, the Argentine Armed Forces’ Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement.
“In March, the authorities of both countries defined the collaboration and training exercise plans for the 2025-2030 period, including combined exercises with SOCSOUTH, with the U.S. Navy SEALs, and with the U.S. Marine Forces Special Operations Command (MARSOC),” José Javier Díaz, an Argentine defense and security consultant, told Diálogo. ‘[These exercises] contribute significantly to the training and operational readiness of Argentine Special Forces, strengthening national defense and the development of combined capabilities as part of these operations.”
During the March reunions, in the framework of the Special Operations Forces Talks (SOF Talks), a strategic forum designed to improve military readiness and strengthen regional defense, the Argentine Navy confirmed its participation in the 2025 edition of multinational exercise UNITAS. The exercise, set to start in September, will include the deployment of the destroyer ARA La Argentina, Argentine news site Zona Militar reported.
The forum also addresses the growing need for hemispheric security cooperation in a context where transnational organized crime and hybrid threats require agile, coordinated, and highly precise responses.
To confront these scenarios, Special Operations Forces, characterized by their adaptability and capacity for deployment in complex environments, are pivotal. Their performance is substantially strengthened through joint training and other combined engagements, which prepare them to face dynamic and unconventional threats, Argentine daily MDZ Online reported.
“These instances of cooperation represent a great advance in the consolidation of our operational capabilities, allowing our forces to train with the most experienced special operations units in the world, such as the United States,” Argentine Navy Captain Nicolás Waldo Pérez, commander of the Special Naval Operations Command, told official Argentine daily Gaceta Marinera. “This not only strengthens our technical preparation, but also the bonds of trust and professionalism between both nations.”
“Enhancing interoperability between the military forces of partner countries is a measure of mutual trust. When it’s implemented among groups that bring together the most select soldiers to execute the most complex and risky missions, we are facing a very clear sign of the type of bilateral relationship for the coming years,” Díaz said. “The intangible value that the Argentine Special Operations Forces receive in terms of doctrine, procedures, techniques, tactics, equipment, instruction, and training puts us at the forefront.”
Another binational exercise on the agenda is Atlantic Dagger, a joint operation between Argentine and U.S. Special Forces, scheduled for February 2026, which will train their response capability in multiple and highly demanding scenarios. The maneuvers will include simulated incursions in extreme environments such as Tierra del Fuego, Santa Cruz, and Isla de los Estados, which will allow for the optimization of coordination in missions under adverse climatic and geographical conditions, Argentine daily Iprofesional reported.
The maneuvers will include helicopter insertion and extraction techniques and medical evacuations, as well as maritime interdictions with speedboats and fast roping. According to Argentine daily MDZ Online, training in these latitudes responds to the strategic vision of preparing units in critical environments such as the Strait of Magellan and the Drake Passage, with a projection toward Antarctica.
A historical example that reflects the results and relevance of this type of cooperation was Operation Safe Return, in October 2023, which, with U.S. advice, consisted of the evacuation of 1,200 Argentine citizens from Israel during the Middle East crisis, in which Argentine special units participated, the Buenos Aires Herald reported at the time.
Another example of the robust relationship between the two countries goes back to 2017, when the U.S. Navy supported the search for sunken Argentine submarine ARA San Juan in the South Atlantic. During the operations, the U.S. military deployed three advanced aircraft, more than 200 troops, four submersibles, an underwater rescue unit, a ship, and more than 400 sonar buoys.
Interaction with partner forces allows for the alignment of protocols, the sharing of tactics, and the strengthening of operational capabilities which, thanks to forums such as the SOF Talks and subsequent agreements, can be applied more effectively in real scenarios.
