The Uruguayan Navy: Making ready for the twenty first century

By Wilder Alejandro Sanchez

“Whether or not [working] in opposition to COVID, transnational prison organizations, the predatory actions of China, the malign affect of Russia, or pure disasters, there’s nothing we can not overcome or obtain via an built-in response with our interagency allies and companions.” – Normal Laura J. Richardson, Commander, U.S. Southern Command

In a speech to commemorate the service’s sea day (Día de la Fuerza de Mar) on August 21, Uruguayan Navy Captain Daniel Di Bono said, “Beginning right this moment, it’s time to begin writing one other web page of this story. Ours, [the story] of the older ones, these of the Frigates, the Minesweepers, the [marine research vessel] Vanguardia, is already coming to an finish. The interval of contemporary, agile, and versatile ocean patrol vessels, coastal patrol vessels, and scientific vessels is approaching.”

Navies continually evolve as a result of new challenges, aims, visions, and realities. Nevertheless, analysts hardly ever witness a pointy evolution of a Navy and its fleet. The Uruguayan Navy is present process that course of, and as a dependable U.S. ally, Washington wants to grasp what’s going on and why.

Out With the Previous, In With the New

For many years, the Uruguayan Navy operated one of many oldest fleets in South America. Except for landlocked Bolivia and Paraguay and never contemplating Guyana and Suriname (extra usually related to the Caribbean), Uruguay is the one South American nation that doesn’t possess submarines. The fleet’s flagship is the Luneburg-class logistics vessel ROU 04 Normal Artigas, launched within the Sixties. The service has decommissioned a number of lately, together with its solely frigate, the previous ROU 01 Uruguay – previously Portugal’s Comandante Joao Belo (F480). In different phrases, at the moment, the Navy has no most important fight ships.

Then again, the service is receiving new(ish) vessels. In late 2022, the Uruguayan Navy commissioned three Marine Protector-class patrol boats previously operated by the US Coast Guard. The three ships are already working throughout Uruguayan waters: ROU 14 Río Arapey, ROU 15 Río de la Plata, and ROU 16 Río Yaguarón. Furthermore, after round a decade of negotiations, brand-new ships are on the horizon. In July, the Ministry of Protection introduced that two offshore patrol vessels (OPVs) might be bought from a Spanish shipyard. Crucially, the OPVs might be able to carrying helicopters, a capability that the fleet at the moment lacks.

Uruguay is scheduled to carry common elections in October 2024. Due to this fact, one can solely hope that the OPV acquisition might be confirmed and all crucial agreements signed so the deal doesn’t fall sufferer to conventional election-related debates and delays.

Evolving Challenges

A truth talked about earlier deserves extra evaluation – the Uruguayan Navy doesn’t possess subs and at the moment does function heavy warships in its fleet. As mentioned in Captain Di Bono’s speech, that period is ending for this service. Geopolitics is a purpose for this assertion: Uruguay borders two international locations, Argentina and Brazil, and bilateral relations are fairly robust. For instance, the Brazilian Ministry of Protection has donated M41C Walker Bulldog tanks, armored autos, and artillery platforms to the Uruguayan Military. The probability of an inter-state struggle is minimal; subsequently, because the Uruguayan officers have additionally said, the Navy’s necessity to function cruisers and minesweepers is equally minimal. Dr. Andrea Resende, affiliate professor at Brazil’s College Heart of Belo Horizonte (UNIBH), defined to CIMSEC that “there’s some rigidity between Argentina and Uruguay, nevertheless not like within the earlier many years. But, Brazil has all the time performed a 3rd celebration throughout conflicts and tensions within the area as a result of the steadiness of its borders frontiers will depend on a peaceable surroundings.”

To advertise shut army relations, from September 11-15, the navies of Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay carried out a brand new iteration of an educational train on trilateral warfare (Juego de Guerra Trilateral) in Carrasco, Uruguay. “The Trilateral Conflict Recreation, carried out yearly, was designed to permit interplay within the formulation, evaluation and resolution of worldwide disaster issues within the South Atlantic area, primarily based on a fictitious scenario, utilizing naval forces,” explains the Argentine Navy’s publication Gaceta Maritima.

These days, the Uruguayan Navy is evolving right into a smaller, quicker, extra fashionable fleet. What are its challenges? Controlling the nation’s huge maritime waters is vital to fight unlawful, unreported, or unregulated (IUU) fishing and different maritime crimes like drug trafficking and smuggling. In different phrases, defending Uruguay’s unique financial zone (EEZ) from non-interstate threats is vital.

Having OPVs that carry helicopters can even be useful for interdiction operations and search-and-rescue missions. Smaller craft may function alongside a few of Uruguay’s rivers for safety and patrol operations and to take part in humanitarian help and catastrophe reduction (HADR) missions. It’s value noting that the Navy has created a tactical operations middle (Centro de Operaciones Tácticas: COT) that oversees the deployment of floor and aerial property to fight unlawful maritime actions.

Dr. Resende warned of a possible spillover impact from the opposite facet of the Atlantic: “Whereas piracy, theft, and hijacking are main issues within the Gulf of Guinea, they’ll overflow throughout your complete area, so there’s a want for the South Atlantic navies to be prepared and to take part in joint workouts and operations,” to take care of their readiness and to have the ability to work collectively. In different phrases, having a smaller fleet doesn’t imply giving up some capabilities, notably concerning maritime regulation enforcement and patrol.

With that stated, there’ll all the time be a necessity for heavier, extra specialised ships. Science is an effective purpose for having them. The Uruguayan Navy has an energetic position in scientific and oceanographic analysis, however sadly, the scientific vessel ROU 22 Oyarvide was decommissioned in 2022 with out a substitute prepared. Whereas not a precedence as in comparison with the OPVs, Montevideo should assign monetary property to accumulate a brand new scientific vessel quickly. Furthermore, Uruguay has a sturdy presence in Antarctica, and Normal Artigas participated within the nation’s latest 2022/2023 Antarctic marketing campaign. Upon its return to Montevideo in February, Protection Minister Javier García famous, “[Artigas] was a ship that had not sailed since 2018, which was overhauled, the issues that wanted to be fastened have been fastened, and it as soon as once more supplied an important service in an Antarctic mission.” In different phrases, the Uruguayan Navy has a vital position in scientific operations throughout Uruguayan and Antarctic waters; subsequently, scientific and polar-capable vessels have to be parts of the longer term fleet.

The service has but to reveal when the traditional Artigas might be decommissioned. The ship is at the moment the fleet’s heaviest vessel, so an identical platform might be wanted to switch it for native transportation operations and Uruguay’s future Antarctic campaigns.

Montevideo-Washington Relations: Transferring Ahead

Lastly, a phrase about U.S.-Uruguay naval relations is critical. They might not be as fixed because the U.S. Navy’s and U.S. Coast Guard’s presence throughout the Larger Caribbean, however they exist. The donation of the Marine Protector vessels to the Uruguayan Navy and helicopters to the Uruguayan Air Drive over the previous two years are a wonderful instance of shut bilateral protection relations.

Furthermore, in February, the U.S. Coast Guard Legend-class cutter Stone’s (WMSL-758) go to to Montevideo port coincided with the seventieth anniversary of the mutual protection cooperation settlement signed between the 2 international locations in 1953. “The settlement served as the muse for the lengthy historical past of cooperation between the 2 democracies in protection tools, coaching, and peacekeeping operations world wide that continues to thrive right this moment,” defined the U.S. embassy in Uruguay in a press launch.

Given the continued struggle in Ukraine (and information of profitable assaults in opposition to Russian ships and submarines), tensions with China, and common incidents at sea with Iran, it could seem puzzling for Washington {that a} Navy can function with out frigates or submarines. Nevertheless, the geopolitics of Latin America and the Caribbean differ from different areas of the world. Particularly, inter-state relations between Uruguay with Argentina and Brazil stay robust within the South Atlantic. The participation in joint workouts by these three militaries is an efficient confidence-building mechanism.

“One can by no means predict the longer term [but a military service must be] ready for no matter might come. And that is the case for Uruguay. Even when we dwell in a relative state of peace, the maritime area is threatened day by day with cyberattacks, IUU fishing, piracy, and unlawful trafficking,” concluded Dr. Resende. Smaller however quicker and extra fashionable ships, with extra interdiction and surveillance capabilities, would be the pillars of the Uruguayan Navy’s fleet within the 21^st century. The threats could also be altering, however the mission stays the identical.

Wilder Alejandro Sánchez is an analyst who focuses on worldwide protection, safety, and geopolitical points throughout the Western Hemisphere, Central Asia, and Japanese Europe. He’s the President of Second Ground Methods, a consulting agency in Washington, DC. Observe him on Twitter: @W_Alex_Sanchez

Featured Picture: The Uruguayan naval frigate Uruguay (ROU 1) transits the Atlantic Ocean. (Credit score: U.S. Navy photograph by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Daniel Barker.)