Chilean Defense Minister José Goñi said the new council will “give life to an alliance that strengthens mutual confidence through integration, dialogue, and cooperation in defense matters.”

The new defense council is an arm of the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR), a political integration organization that began informally in 2004 and was formally constituted last May. Its member countries are Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay, Brazil, Ecuador, Bolivia, Peru, Colombia, Venezuela, Surinam y Guyana.

The council will also build a network for sharing military knowledge, policies, and technological innovations. This includes linking up military training academies and founding a new “South American Center of Strategic Defense Studies.” And, the council will promote bi-lateral and multi-lateral investment in the region’s defense industries.