SANTIAGO, Chile, Sept. 18 (UPI) -- Chile is closely watching increased military investment by neighboring Peru and Argentina as Santiago faces tight budget constraints aimed at curbing public spending and strengthening its fiscal position.
Peru's government submitted a 2027 budget proposal in early September that would increase funding for defense investment projects by 283% to about $754 million.
Argentina, meanwhile, is moving ahead with plans to strengthen its armed forces with 24 F-16 fighter jets and expand its naval capabilities through plans to acquire three submarines and two frigates.
Six former Chilean defense ministers from across the political spectrum told newspaper El Mercurio that the military buildup by neighboring countries "requires special attention." They also questioned delays in funding for the strategic capabilities of Chile's armed forces.
They said postponing the funding could undermine the credibility of Chile's defense policy, which should not depend on annual fiscal pressures.
Chile remains one of the South American countries with relatively high military spending compared with the size of its economy.
The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute reported that Chile spent the equivalent of 1.52% of its gross domestic product on defense in 2025, compared with 0.81% in Peru and 0.56% in Argentina. Colombia spent 3.52% and Ecuador 2.10%.
Uncertainty remains, however, over how much Chile will be able to allocate to defense next year as the government implements a significant fiscal adjustment. The 2027 budget proposal is due to be presented by the end of September, and President José Antonio Kast has warned that it will be austere.
In 2020, Chile replaced a military financing mechanism known as the Reserved Copper Law, under which revenue linked to copper sales helped finance the armed forces, with a multiyear fund for the renewal and maintenance of strategic military capabilities.
Some contributions required under the new system have been postponed in recent budgets, raising concerns about the continuity of those investments.
Alejandro Riquelme, a lawmaker from Kast's governing Republican Party who represents the southern Magallanes region, told UPI that Chile should closely monitor increased military investment by its neighbors but should not automatically respond by increasing its own acquisitions.
He said that although Chile has strong military capabilities, the country urgently needs to improve maritime and aerial surveillance, expand anti-drone systems and prepare for electronic warfare.
"Chile must modernize its defense, but with strategic intelligence. It is not about competing to see who buys the most expensive system, but about having effective, sovereign and sustainable capabilities to defend the country," Riquelme said.
Diego Jiménez, a security and geopolitics expert and researcher at the School of Economics at Universidad San Sebastián, told UPI that increased defense purchases by countries bordering Chile do not necessarily signal a new regional arms race, but instead reflect domestic policy needs.
"Peru is in a cycle of high political instability, which historically has led it to focus part of its attention on its relationship with Chile, particularly from the standpoint of renewing its capabilities," Jiménez said.
He said Peru historically has invested in replacing aging vehicles and vessels, but high equipment turnover has made it difficult for personnel to develop the expertise needed to maintain those capabilities over the long term.
Argentina, meanwhile, has one of the lowest levels of defense spending in Latin America, but its relationship with Chile continues to generate tensions in some sectors.
Gustavo Javier Valverde, chief of staff of the Argentine Air Force, recently referred to Magallanes, the southern region and the Drake Passage in the context of Argentine "sovereignty," saying his country needed to maintain a presence in the area.
In Argentina's case, Jiménez said military spending is being directed toward acquiring capabilities rather than improving working conditions for personnel.
"Therefore, we are not facing a wave of modernization of the armed forces," he said.
Jiménez said he does not expect the changes to alter South America's strategic balance, which historically has favored Brazil and, to some extent, Chile.
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Bolivia identifies first new cat species in more than a century
Sept. 18 (UPI) -- Scientists have formally identified a new wild cat species native to Bolivia, marking the first description of a completely new living feline species in more than a century, according to a genomic study.
The study, published Thursday in the journal Current Biology, established that the small, spotted cat inhabiting the cloud forests of Bolivia's Yungas region belongs to a previously unidentified evolutionary lineage.
Researchers named the species Leopardus tilcayo, preserving the name traditionally used by local communities.
The finding does not involve reclassifying a previously known subspecies. Instead, the researchers identified a cat that had never received its own scientific designation, making it the first completely new living feline species described in more than 100 years.
The tilcayo measures about 18 inches from head to body and weighs roughly 3 pounds, making it smaller than an average domestic cat. It has light brown fur, a small face, rounded ears and large, irregular rosette-shaped markings, according to Bolivian newspaper Los Tiempos.
Researchers compared complete genomes from 38 members of the Leopardus genus, including living animals, rescued or road-killed specimens and historical material preserved in museums. The analysis established that the tilcayo diverged from related tiger cats about 1.4 million years ago.
The study also concluded that South America has five distinct tiger cat species and identified a new subspecies in Peru, Leopardus tigrinus antisuyo.
The individual that ultimately led scientists to the new species was found about a decade ago. A local resident discovered the animal as a kitten along a road near a forest and took it home after mistaking it for a domestic cat. About a year later, he transferred it to the Senda Verde wildlife sanctuary.
In 2016, the sanctuary contacted Bolivian biologist Paola Nogales-Ascarrunz about the unusual animal. She initially believed it belonged to Leopardus tigrinus, commonly known as the northern tiger cat.
"I took 100 pictures of it," Nogales-Ascarrunz told National Geographic. "I was so fascinated."
In 2019, while preparing a guide to Bolivia's wild cats, Nogales-Ascarrunz noticed that the animal's markings and other physical characteristics differed from reference photographs of tiger cats found in Brazil, according to Bolivia's El Deber.
Scientists still do not know the size of the tilcayo population or many details about its diet, reproduction and behavior. Researchers are installing camera traps in the Yungas, where deforestation, agricultural expansion and mining threaten its habitat.
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