This February 22nd, the Argentine Republic celebrates 122 years of uninterrupted presence on the white continent . This is no ordinary anniversary; it commemorates an epic journey that began in 1904 and continues to establish our country as the world's leading Antarctic power . But while national infrastructure and the Tierra del Fuego initiative are making giant strides toward autonomy, a geopolitical shadow looms from the Global North over Ushuaia, threatening to transform our "Gateway to Antarctica" into an enclave of North American interests .

HeliUshuaia: Sovereignty with a Fuegian stamp

Last Thursday, February 12th, marked a golden moment for the province. HeliUshuaia , a company based entirely in Tierra del Fuego and headquartered in the provincial capital, successfully completed an exploratory flight to Petrel Base . Aboard their Beechcraft King Air B200 , the crew demonstrated that the technological development and professional expertise born in Tierra del Fuego are capable of overcoming even the most extreme logistical challenges.

This flight was not an isolated event : it validated a civil, logistical, and commercial air bridge directly connecting Ushuaia with Antarctica. It demonstrated that neither Argentina nor Tierra del Fuego needs external oversight to manage our territory . The efficiency of a local company, working hand in hand with the Joint Antarctic Command , from the capital of the bicontinental province, with capital and resources from Tierra del Fuego, is the most compelling answer to those who claim that Argentina "needs partners" for its strategic development.

The parade of Southern Command chiefs: From Richardson to Holsey

However, this capacity for self-management clashes head-on with the policy of surrender promoted by Javier Milei 's administration. The presence of the United States Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) in Tierra del Fuego has gone from being a concern to a de facto territorial occupation .

The string of visits between 2021 and 2025 is alarming . It wasn't just General Laura Richardson with her rhetoric about "natural resources" and "regional security." Before her, Admiral Craig Faller had visited, and more recently, last year, Admiral Alvin Holsey .

Holsey didn't come for a stroll . And he didn't just "inspect" the construction of the Integrated Naval Base ; he went much further: he openly expressed the Pentagon's aspirations to have a submarine base for the Southern Command in Ushuaia . The plan, according to discussions with the Ministry of Defense, aims to establish this infrastructure in the Beagle Channel, or "a dedicated dock," within the future port of the Integrated Naval Base , which is slowly being built on the Ushuaia Peninsula—a crucial point for controlling the interoceanic passage and access to Antarctica.

The danger of an "Integrated Naval Base" under a foreign flag

The Integrated Naval Base (BNI) was conceived as a national project to provide the Argentine Navy with a state-of-the-art logistics center. However, under the current arrangement, the risk is that Argentina will provide the territory and the United States will provide the "management."

Accepting funding and oversight from Southern Command for a submarine base or military logistics hub in the Beagle Channel is not "integration," it is a surrender of sovereignty . It is allowing the same power that is a historical ally of the United Kingdom in NATO—and that maintains the Mount Pleasant base in our Malvina Islands—to establish an operational presence on our own soil.

122 years after the first observatory in the Orcadas Islands, the fight for Antarctica is not only against the ice, but also against Argentine political apathy . The success of HeliUshuaia shows us the way: local investment, our own technological development, and Fuegian pride .