Bolivian president proposes transforming armed forces to avert future coups

La Paz, Aug 8 (IANS) Bolivian President Luis Arce said that the armed forces need to undergo a “profound transformation”, including updating military doctrine, to avert further attempted coups.
“We have concluded that the institutional strengthening of the armed forces is necessary, promoting a profound transformation that includes the definition of new institutional objectives and strategic actions with a vision of the future in the short, medium, and long term,” he said in a speech marking the 199th anniversary of the Armed Forces in the city of Trinidad, in northeast Beni department, Xinhua news agency reported.
Recently, “there have been two critical moments of rupture or anti-democratic crisis by a few bad soldiers seduced by personal interests and power groups. Given these facts, it is imperative to find solutions to prevent these moments of crisis from being repeated,” Arce stressed.
The existence of traces of foreign interference is still evident, particularly in the pre-and post-graduate training of military personnel, under the guidelines of the “anachronistic national security doctrine” imposed on the continent by the United States, he said.
The goal, said the president, is to have a modern and professional military committed to strengthening democracy.
–IANS
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