The oldest major base on Antarctica, Captain Arturo Prat Base was built on Greenwich Island in 1947 by the Chilean Antarctic Expedition as the first Chilean base on the continent. Its power projection was an important factor in Chile emerging from the Scramble with a firmly established claim and the base allowed the navy to defend Greenwich Island itself during the tensest moments of Chilean-Argentine disputes.

Indeed, the base was central to the defense the Chileans staged during the Snipe War. Prat Base was fortified enough to ward off any potential Argentine aggression, even as nearby areas fell.

Technically a naval base able to support a handful of ships, Prat is a critical post for the Chilean Navy to counter future Argentinean posturing, should circumstances require...