• Military

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Industry
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space
• Public Eye

Armada Argentina - Argentine Navy

It is difficult to design an intermediate Navy such as that of the Argentine Republic, especially because of the size of the geographical scenario. As it cannot be prepared for everything, it is necessary to assign priorities to the resources selected. The Navy of the Argentine Republic grants absolute priority in his to drive to the fulfillment of the basic mission to contribute to the National defense; despite this, complementarily it satisfies also other missions and functions contributors when driving of the State in different areas. These activities tie to the Navy with diverse organisms and state and deprived institutions in the national and international order, by means of multiple plans, programs or agreements of interchange, support and cooperation.

The control of the sea is the means by which the Argentina Navy assures the use the marine spaces to protect and to guarantee the interests of the Nation, and complementarily, by means of the negation of these spaces, it prevents that they do it that they try to affect them. Although this concept involves the required control to be able to carry out naval operations before threats of military nature, includes as well the idea of presence through operations that in situations of low level of conflict, allow to monitorear the marine and fluvial spaces of interest, providing information and capacity of answer, before incidents or situations that require the exercise of the authority or to be necessary the use of the force.

The operational organization of the Service is based on two concepts: the Readiness Commands and the Naval Areas, both reporting to the Naval Operations Command. Readiness Commands manage and prepare the forces and units assigned, which are formed by ships, submarines, aircraft and Marine Corps units, according to the Navy's plans and policies. Their objective is to provide and sustain adequate and timely resources required for Naval Operations Training and the execution of the Naval Operations performed by the Navy.

Naval Areas are responsible for providing logistical support, through their bases, to operational units based in their jurisdiction or to units of any task organization carrying out operations in their area of responsibility. Some of them have permanently assigned resources that are appropriate for the area, such as fast boats, patrol boats, mine hunters and patrol ships, but when specific situations come up within a given Area, other operational units are assigned accordingly. In addition, each Naval Area has different responsibilities in accordance with the specific areas where they exercise their jurisdiction.

The Surface Fleet Command, located at Puerto Belgrano. Four ship divisions form the Surface Fleet, which is organized by ship types to facilitate training and maintenance control.

• The Amphibious Naval Command has two T-42 destroyers, one transport ship, general support ships and a Naval Beach Detachment (Sea Bees). The Amphibious Naval Command is responsible for planning and executing amphibious operations and air defense tasks.
• The First Corvette Division Command has three A-69 corvettes for anti-submarine defense, sea control, ecology and electronic warfare.
• The Second Corvette Division has four MEKO 140 corvettes for anti-submarine defense, sea control, ecology and electronic warfare.
• The Second Destroyer Division has four MEKO 360 destroyers for anti-surface and anti-submarine actions and anti-missile defense.

The Submarine Force has two TR 1700 submarines, one IKL 209 submarine and a rescue ship. The Submarine Force Command, based in Mar del Plata, comprises the following:

• Submarine Units with anti-surface and anti-submarine capability, capable of carrying Tactical Divers (Seals) and Amphibious Commands
• Tactical Divers Group (Seals)
• Submarine Search and Rescue Groups
• The Mar del Plata Naval Base, providing logistical support to the Submarine Force.

The Marine Corps Command, based at Puerto Belgrano, has subordinate multipurpose forces that were recently reorganized and that are in process of modernization.

The Marine Corps either has incorporated individual equipment and ordnance to operate in any type of environment, or is close to doing so. It is provided with short and medium range anti-tank material and the support material (guns) required for artillery fire support, particularly suited to amphibious and coast operations. In addition to its communications equipment it is incorporating resources that meet C3 I2 requirements. It also has the ground displacement resources required for amphibious operations.

The Marine Corps Command is formed by:

• The Surface Fleet Marine Corps Force, based at Baterías. It carries out amphibious tasks and is integrated by:
  • The Marine Corps Battalion No. 2.
  • The Command and Logistical Support Battalion
  • The Amphibious Vehicle Battalion
  • The Campaign Artillery Battalion No. 1
  • The Air Defense Battalion
  • The Group of Amphibious Commandos
• The Southern Marine Corps Force, based at the cities of Río Gallegos and Río Grande, which operates in cold areas and on the particular terrain of that region. Its function is to contribute to sea control. It is formed by:
  • The Marine Corps Battalion No. 4
  • The Marine Corps Battalion No. 5
  • The Río Gallegos Naval Detachment
  • The Río Grande Naval Detachment
• Marine Corps Battalion No. 3 will be based at Zárate, to perform fluvial and coast operations.
• The Baterías Marine Corps Base, which provides logistical support to the Fleet Marine Corps Force and to the Marine Corps Battalion No. 3.

The Argentina Navy, from the moment at which the man began to fly, as of 1860 in balloons, and 1903 in airplanes, felt a strong necessity to incorporate them to both to its operative activities. After the activities of the first pioneers, as of 1910 (Lieutenant of Frigate Melchor Escola), the creation of the Park and School of Aeroestación of Barragán Fort was ordered, in neighborhoods of the city of the Silver (1916), and the Division Aviation of organic way within its General Staff. In the decades of years 1930 and 1940 it participated in numerous exploratory flights of new routes (raids), along and to the wide thing of the Patagonia and of our great rivers, and flew over all the extension of the Argentine Sea.

As of 1947, the Naval aviation was first in crossing the Antarctic Circle from the American continent, and in landing for the first time in the South Pole (1962). It participated in constant way, and contributing a generous price in lives, the development of the Naval Force with Aircraft carrier (of 1956 to 1968, the A.R.A. Independence, and from 1969 to 1988 the A.R.A. 25 of May), that distinguished to the Argentine Republic like the only South American nation that operated a ship of complexity of integral way.

The Air Naval Command, based at Puerto Belgrano. The following organizations report to this command:

• Air Naval Force No. 2, based at the Comandante Espora Air Naval Base. It concentrates combat and anti-submarine aircraft forming the Fleet's Air Naval Group.
• Air Naval Force No. 3, based at the Almirante Zar Air Naval Base, provided with Exploration and Sea Surveillance Squadrons, Electronic Surveillance and Mobile Logistical Support.
• The Naval Air Training Command and the Naval Aviation School based at the Punta Indio Naval Air Base; the Advanced Training and Attack Squadron and the Aerophotographical Group report to this organization.

Officers	2,300
Non-commissioned officers	13,400
Volunteer Troops	1,500
TOTAL	17,200