Argentine President Mauricio Macri this week signed a decree that returns decision-making authority to the Armed Forces.  It effectively reverses three-decades of incremental progress on civilian control over the country's forces.

The Macri government is downplaying the significance of the policy as a "rearrangement of administrative tasks". 

Human rights organisations have criticised the decision as one that returns the country to policies of the brutal military dictatorship that ruled from 1976 to 1983.  A year after democracy was restored, Argentina adopted provision 436/1984, which allowed for democratically elected to retain control over the military. Every administration since then had maintained the decree.  But Macri replaced it with Decree 721/2016, signed on Tuesday.

According to the new order, the head of the armed forces joint staff will now be able to designate officials in their branches, except for those that are of higher rank.  The military will also be able to approve the qualifications of retired officers, allowing them to serve as teachers in military institutes and courses.