Navy Infantry Corps / Cuerpo de Infantería de Marina
The case for procuring a pair of LPDs had been reinforced by a series of natural disasters, including earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and tsunami that have affected Chile since 2007. Chile’s 2010 earthquake further underlined the importance of being able to deliver aid by sea. Those emergencies called for mass evacuations and the transporting of large amounts of aid. The acquisition of the LPDs would also increase Chile's power-projection capabilities and would parallel an expansion of the country's marine infantry force from its current strength of 3,000 to 5,000.
The 3,000 marines of the Navy Infantry Corps are organized in the mid-1990s into four detachments, based in Iquique, Viña del Mar, Talcahuano, and Punta Arenas. Each detachment consists of a reinforced infantry battalion, a commando company, a field battery, an antiaircraft battery, and logistic support units. In addition, there are some small embarked detachments, an amphibious assault battalion, and a logistics battalion, the latter two based in Valparaíso. Equipment is largely the same as that used by army infantry units. Most of the Marines' thirty LVTP-5 (landing vehicle, tracked, personnel) amphibious-landing vehicles are out of service, and their Cactus SAM systems have been disposed of. Amphibious-assault capability is confined largely to semirigid, inflatable craft.
The Cuerpo de Infantería de Marina is constituted by forces that fulfill three rolls main: the projection of the naval supremacy towards earth, the coastal defense and tasks of order and security in the Naval Zones. In its roll of projection of the naval supremacy, the Marine infantry owns an Expeditionary Shock battalion [ Batallón de Asalto Expedicionario ] with capacity of unfolding to great distance, by a defined time, for the fulfillment of its mission. They can operate of joint way with the Army.
For its mobility Integra to means of the Amphibious Commando and Naval Transports. In its roll of Coastal defense the Body Marines owns Units of associated Coastal Monitoring and Coastal artillery to the Defense of the Marine Front of the different Theaters from Operations. As far as its roll of Order and Security the Marine infantry owns Trimmings IM oriented to afford naval protection to the facilities and Units, in the different Naval Zones. The Marine infantry, in addition, has the technical responsibility of the Instrumental Bands of the Navy oriented to participate in military ceremonies, protocol activities and regulation honors.
The training that receives the Infants of Navy for the fulfillment of their own tasks, has allowed to participate them successfully in different missions from peace of United Nations, first of which it was in Cambodia, in 1993. At the moment, the Infants of Navy of Chile are presents in the missions of peace of the UN in Haiti and Cyprus, besides an observer in the Middle East. The Marine infantry also realises workings of mine-clearing humanitarian, in accordance with international treaties subscribed by the State. Specialized personnel of the Marines Integra the Game of Operation of Terrestrial Mines of Armada (POMTA), that mainly carries out its tasks in the austral zone of the country, under the technical supervision of the Separate military command of Body IM and the National Commission of Mine-clearing.
Chilean Naval Infantry Equipment |
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| Equipment | Source | Inventory | |||||||||||
| 1990 | 1995 | 2000 | 2005 | 2010 | 2012 | 2015 | 2020 | 2025 | 2030 | ||||
| Personnel | ,000 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| Active | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | |||
| Reserve | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | |||
| Armored Personnel Carriers | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |||
| mm | LVTP-5 Amphibious | n.a. | 30 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | |
| mm | Mowag Roland with Blowpipe SAMs | FR | 40 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | |
| Artillery, Towed | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |||
| mm | M-101 105mm howitzers | USA | 16 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | |
| mm | M-114 155mm | USA | 36 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | |
| Coast guns | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |||
| mm | GPFM-3 155mm | USA | 16 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | |
| Mortars | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |||
| 50mm | Mortars | USA | 50 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | |
| 80mm | Mortars | USA | 50 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | |
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