President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner resumed her activities on Monday and while attending a ceremony at the Military Academy, she said she would begin advocating for an increase in high-ranking female officials in the Armed Forces.
She also suggested the creation a new plan for graduates which would take them on a year-long tour of the country.
During her speech, Fernández de Kirchner praised that neither the Infantry nor the Cavalry banned women from joining their ranks, and hoped that “maybe someday a female general will be taking part of these forces.”
“I find it strange that no woman has become general yet. I hope that before my term is over we get to see a female general, brigadier or admiral,” she stated.
She then assured that “it is necessary for women to have a more active participation” in the configuration of the Armed Forces.
“It is a paradox that female citizens were not allowed into certain aspects of the military due to their gender, especially when the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces is a woman. Fortunately we have left all that behind,” she said.
The President then announced a new plan aimed at graduates from all three forces so that they can “tour the entire country for an entire year,” since “you cannot defend what you don’t know.”
“This isn’t a road trip, but a plan to help them get to know the country in depth, because you cannot defend what you don’t know, what you don’t understand or love,” she indicated.
She assured that “one of the greatest problems we’ve had throughout our history is that we haven’t been able to know each other well.”
“Living in the centre of the country is very different from living in the Chaco region or the Puna grassland. We have to get to know our people, our regions, and our problems. This is how we will have better soldiers to defend our nation,” she concluded.
The President attended the joint graduation ceremony of the Armed Forces officials at the Military School located in El Palomar, and took the oath to 328 graduates.
She was joined by Defence Minister Arturo Puricelli, the Head of the Joint Chiefs, Jorge Chevalier and the heads of the Armed Forces, Luis Pozzi (Army), Jorge Godoy (Navy) and Normando Costantino (Air Force.)
Source: Buenos Aires Herald