Argentina Is Restructuring Its Intelligence System

President of Argentina Javier Milei has signed a decree amending Law No. 25,520 on National Intelligence, which provides for a large-scale restructuring of the State Intelligence Secretariat (Secretaría de Inteligencia del Estado, SIDE) and reform of the country’s entire intelligence community.

In Argentina, the President has the right to issue decrees of necessity and urgency (Decretos de Necesidad y Urgencia), which can amend or supplement existing legislation in accordance with Article 99 of the Constitution. After publication, such a document is submitted to Congress for consideration: first, it is analyzed by a special two-chamber commission, and then separately – by the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate. If rejected by at least one of the chambers, the decree becomes invalid.

SIDE, which reports directly to the President, is the governing body of Argentina’s National Intelligence System (SIN) and is responsible for coordinating the agencies that make up the National Intelligence Community (CITN). Its key functions include collecting and analyzing information in the interests of national security, counterintelligence, and countering foreign interference.

The decree provides for the creation of a new institutional architecture, including the Argentine Intelligence Service (SIA) and the National Counterintelligence Agency (ANC) instead of the National Security Agency (ASN), the Federal Cyber Intelligence Agency (AFC) instead of the Federal Cyber Security Agency, and the General Inspectorate of Intelligence (IGI) instead of the Department of Internal Affairs (DAI). The stated goal is to eliminate duplication of powers between agencies. In parallel, coordination platforms for information exchange are being created – the National Intelligence Community and the National Information Community under the leadership of SIDE.

The document also expands the powers of intelligence officers, giving them the right to detain persons caught in the act of committing a crime, with mandatory immediate transfer to the police. At the same time, the level of publicity is reduced: all activities of the Argentine intelligence agencies are declared secret.

The reform reflects the Milei administration’s policy of strengthening presidential control over the intelligence community. The decree is currently under consideration by the Argentine Parliament and a relevant two-chamber commission.