United States Warship Transfers to Argentina, Brazil, and Chile: Options for U.S. Policy

The United States Navy plans to decommission several classes of warships in the next decade. Each of the major Southern Cone countries of Latin America Argentina, Brazil, and Chile perceives a geopolitically-driven need for a blue-water navy. Each of the navies needs frigates and destroyers to achieve blue-water status. This thesis examines U.S. ship transfer policy to the Southern Cone. It concludes that the Adams-, Coontz-, and Knox-class ships that the U.S. Navy is beginning to decommission should be leased to the Southern Cone navies in order to bolster their naval forces and to support mutual maritime security interests. The poor economic status of these countries mandates that the lease terms be made as favorable as possible and that the annual number of ship leases be kept to a few.