The Naval Infantry Command ( es, Comando de la Infantería de Marina, COIM), also known as the Naval Infantry of the Navy of the Argentine Republic ( es, Infantería de Marina de la Armada de la República Argentina, IMARA) and generally referred to in English as the Argentine marines are the
amphibious warfare branch of the
Argentine Navy
The Argentine Navy (ARA; es, Armada de la República Argentina). This forms the basis for the navy's ship prefix "ARA". is the navy of Argentina. It is one of the three branches of the Armed Forces of the Argentine Republic, together with the ...
and one of its four operational commands.
The Argentine marines trace their origins to the
Spanish Naval Infantry, which took part in conflicts in South America in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Argentine marines took part in various conflicts of the nineteenth and twentieth century, notably the
War of the Triple Alliance
The Paraguayan War, also known as the War of the Triple Alliance, was a South American war that lasted from 1864 to 1870. It was fought between Paraguay and the Triple Alliance of Argentina, the Empire of Brazil, and Uruguay. It was the deadlies ...
and the
Falklands War
The Falklands War ( es, link=no, Guerra de las Malvinas) was a ten-week undeclared war between Argentina and the United Kingdom in 1982 over two British dependent territories in the South Atlantic: the Falkland Islands and its territorial de ...
. The marines (represented by the
5th Naval Infantry Battalion) are considered to have been among the best Argentine combat units present in the Falklands. The most recent war in which Argentine naval infantry took part was the
Gulf War
The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Iraq were carried out in two key phases: ...
of 1990.
Today Argentine naval infantry are frequently deployed on UN peace-keeping missions.
History
The Marines trace their origins in
Spanish Naval Infantry, at the time of the
Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata
The Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata ( es, Virreinato del Río de la Plata or es, Virreinato de las Provincias del Río de la Plata) meaning "River of the Silver", also called "Viceroyalty of the River Plate" in some scholarly writings, in ...
. After the
Argentine War of Independence
The Argentine War of Independence ( es, Guerra de Independencia de Argentina, links=no) was a secessionist civil war fought from 1810 to 1818 by Argentine patriotic forces under Manuel Belgrano, Juan José Castelli and José de San Martín a ...
, it was under joint administration of the
Argentine Army
The Argentine Army ( es, Ejército Argentino, EA) is the land force branch of the Armed Forces of the Argentine Republic and the senior military service of Argentina. Under the Argentine Constitution, the president of Argentina is the commander- ...
and the
Argentine Navy
The Argentine Navy (ARA; es, Armada de la República Argentina). This forms the basis for the navy's ship prefix "ARA". is the navy of Argentina. It is one of the three branches of the Armed Forces of the Argentine Republic, together with the ...
. A 1946 law placed the marines solely under the jurisdiction of the Navy.
Battles and interventions
; Under Spanish dominion:
* Conquest of the
islas Malvinas
The Falkland Islands (; es, Islas Malvinas, link=no ) is an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean on the Patagonian Shelf. The principal islands are about east of South America's southern Patagonian coast and about from Cape Dubouze ...
in 1767.
*
Malvinas Crisis (1770)
* Defense of the East Coast 1776.
*
British invasions of the Río de la Plata 1806 and 1807.
; During independence:
* seizure of
Martin Garcia Island in 1814.
* Landing in
Monterey, California
Monterey (; es, Monterrey; Ohlone: ) is a city located in Monterey County on the southern edge of Monterey Bay on the U.S. state of California's Central Coast. Founded on June 3, 1770, it functioned as the capital of Alta California under bo ...
, now part of the United States (1817–1818): 200 men commanded by
Hipólito Bouchard
Hippolyte or Hipólito Bouchard (15 January 1780 – 4 January 1837) was a French-born Argentine sailor and corsair who fought for Argentina, Chile, and Peru.
During his first campaign as an Argentine corsair he attacked the Spanish colonies ...
, 130 of whom were armed with guns and 70 with lances, disembarked one
league
League or The League may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Leagues'' (band), an American rock band
* ''The League'', an American sitcom broadcast on FX and FXX about fantasy football
Sports
* Sports league
* Rugby league, full contact footba ...
from the fort of Monterrey, in a creek hidden from the heights. The fort resisted only very weakly, and after an hour-long battle the Argentine flag was raised.
; Argentine confederation:
*
Cisplatine War. (1820s)
*
Uruguayan Civil War (1842), against the forces under the control of
Giuseppe Garibaldi
Giuseppe Maria Garibaldi ( , ;In his native Ligurian language, he is known as ''Gioxeppe Gaibado''. In his particular Niçard dialect of Ligurian, he was known as ''Jousé'' or ''Josep''. 4 July 1807 – 2 June 1882) was an Italian general, patr ...
.
*
Anglo-French blockade of the Río de la Plata (1845)
*
Paraguayan War (War of the Triple Alliance) (1845)
;
Argentine Republic:
![Amtrack-82](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ab/Amtrack-82.jpg)
*
1963 Argentine Navy Revolt
*
Snipe incident
*
Dirty War
The Dirty War ( es, Guerra sucia) is the name used by the military junta or civic-military dictatorship of Argentina ( es, dictadura cívico-militar de Argentina, links=no) for the period of state terrorism in Argentina from 1974 to 1983 a ...
(1976 to 1983)
*
Falklands War
The Falklands War ( es, link=no, Guerra de las Malvinas) was a ten-week undeclared war between Argentina and the United Kingdom in 1982 over two British dependent territories in the South Atlantic: the Falkland Islands and its territorial de ...
( es, Guerra de las Malvinas/Guerra del Atlántico Sur) (1982): Take over of the
Falklands
The Falkland Islands (; es, Islas Malvinas, link=no ) is an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean on the Patagonian Shelf. The principal islands are about east of South America's southern Patagonian coast and about from Cape Dubouzet ...
and
South Georgia
South Georgia ( es, Isla San Pedro) is an island in the South Atlantic Ocean that is part of the British Overseas Territory of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. It lies around east of the Falkland Islands. Stretching in the east ...
, and
Battle of Mount Tumbledown
The Battle of Mount Tumbledown was an engagement during the Falklands War. The engagement was an attack by the British Army and the Royal Marines on the heights over-looking Stanley, the Falkland Islands capital. Mount Tumbledown, Mount Willi ...
, .
*
Gulf War
The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Iraq were carried out in two key phases: ...
. (1990)
*
UN Peacekeeper
Peacekeeping by the United Nations is a role held by the Department of Peace Operations as an "instrument developed by the organization as a way to help countries torn by conflict to create the conditions for lasting peace". It is distinguished ...
, observers/peace missions in
Cyprus
Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is geo ...
,
Western Sahara
Western Sahara ( '; ; ) is a disputed territory on the northwest coast and in the Maghreb region of North and West Africa. About 20% of the territory is controlled by the self-proclaimed Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), while the r ...
, the
Balkans
The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...
, and
Haiti
Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and ...
.
Present
IMARA routinely train in joint exercises with similar units of
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
,
Chile
Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...
and the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
. However, as of 2021 component battalions were reported to be at about 60 percent of their authorized strength levels due to lack of personnel and resources.
Current deployments
![Argentine marines on USS Oak Hill (LSD 51)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/95/Argentine_marines_on_USS_Oak_Hill_%28LSD_51%29.jpg)
IMARA had two companies as part of the Argentinian battalions in Cyprus (UNFICYP, 1992 to 2003) and Haiti (MINUSTAH, 2004 to 2015). The former remains as a platoon-size unit as a consequence of the missions downsizing, and the latter finished its tour in 2015. A small platoon was also deployed in
Serbia
Serbia (, ; Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe, Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Bas ...
/UN Province
Kosovo
Kosovo ( sq, Kosova or ; sr-Cyrl, Косово ), officially the Republic of Kosovo ( sq, Republika e Kosovës, links=no; sr, Република Косово, Republika Kosovo, links=no), is a partially recognised state in Southeast Euro ...
(NATO
KFOR KFOR may refer to:
* KFOR (AM), a radio station (1240 AM) licensed to Lincoln, Nebraska, United States
* KFOR-TV, a television station (channel 4 analog/27 digital) licensed to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States
* KFOR-TV (Nebraska), a defunct ...
mandate), attached to Argentine Engineers Company, which was in turn attached to the
Italian Brigade.
A few marines officers are routinely deployed as military observers for the
UN.
Structure
Argentine Marines have the same rank insignia and titles as the rest of the Argentine Navy, and are trained in the same institutions for officers and NCOs. Until the 21st century the Marine Corps Basic School provided post-graduate officer and basic enlisted training.
Fleet Marine Force (FAIF)
The FMF was formerly called the Brigada de IM No. 1 ( en, 1st Marine Brigade )
*
2nd Marine Corps Battalion
* 1st Amphibious Vehicles Battalion
* Amphibious Engineers Battalion
* Command and Logistical Support Battalion
* 1st Communications Battalion
* 1st Field Artillery Battalion
*
Anti-aircraft artillery
Anti-aircraft warfare, counter-air or air defence forces is the battlespace response to aerial warfare, defined by NATO as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It includes surface based, ...
Battalion
*
Amphibious Commandos Group
The Amphibious Commandos Group ( es, Agrupación de Comandos Anfibios, APCA) is a special operations force of the Argentine Marine Corps.
Role
Trained to perform quick and objective amphibious reconnaissance, assault raids, and direct acti ...
(APCA)
Southern Marine Force (FAIA)
The SMF was formerly called the Fuerza de M No. 1. (English: 1st Marine Force)
*
4th Marine Corps Battalion
*
5th Marine Corps Battalion
* Naval Detachment Río Grande
River Operations Unit
*
3rd Marine Corps Battalion
Marine Security Forces
* Navy General Staff Security Battalion
*
Puerto Belgrano Naval Base Security Battalion
* 15 Security Companies assigned to naval bases, Naval Air Stations, and Marine bases
Ranks
;Officers
;Enlisted
Equipment
US_Navy_040704-N-1464F-014_Marines_from_Argentina_line_up_in_formation_alongside_U.S._Marines_durig_the_largest_amphibious_assault_exercise_in_Latin_America,_UNITAS_45-04.jpg, Marines from Argentina line up in formation alongside U.S. Marines during the largest amphibious assault exercise in Latin America, UNITAS 45-04
LVTP7-IMARA-17may07.jpg, LVTP7 of the Argentine Marine Infantry (IMARA), locally known as VAO (Vehiculo Anfibio a Orugas)
ERC90_IMARA_17may07.JPG, Panhard ERC 90 of the Argentine Marine Infantry (IMARA).
LARC5_humvee_IMARA_17may07.jpg, LARC-5 and Humvee of the Argentine Marine Infantry (IMARA), locally known as VAR (Vehículo Anfibio a Ruedas).
See also
*
Argentine ground forces in the Falklands War This is a list of the ground forces from Argentina that took part in the Falklands War ( es, Guerra de las Malvinas). For a list of ground forces from the United Kingdom, see British ground forces in the Falklands War.
Operation Rosario (April 2) ...
*
Argentine Navy
The Argentine Navy (ARA; es, Armada de la República Argentina). This forms the basis for the navy's ship prefix "ARA". is the navy of Argentina. It is one of the three branches of the Armed Forces of the Argentine Republic, together with the ...
*
Marines
Marines, or naval infantry, are typically a military force trained to operate in littoral zones in support of naval operations. Historically, tasks undertaken by marines have included helping maintain discipline and order aboard the ship (refle ...
*
Military history of Argentina
References
External links
*
Official website(archived)
Argentine Marines Unofficial websiteArgentine Marine Corps AssociationWorld NaviesAs part of his journey of reconciliation Mike Seers travels to Argentina to interview Marine artillery gunners whom he fought againstReassessing the Fighting Performance of the Argentine 5th Marines
{{Argentine Military
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
Marines
Marines, or naval infantry, are typically a military force trained to operate in littoral zones in support of naval operations. Historically, tasks undertaken by marines have included helping maintain discipline and order aboard the ship (refle ...
Military units and formations established in 1939
da:ARA