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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 th ...
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 ...
. 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, i ...
. 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 ...
, it was under joint administration of the
Argentine Army The Argentine Army ( es, Ejército Argentino, EA) is the Army, 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 comman ...
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 th ...
. A 1946 law placed the marines solely under the jurisdiction of the Navy.


Battles and interventions

; Under Spanish dominion: * Conquest of the islas Malvinas in 1767. * Malvinas Crisis (1770) * Defense of the East Coast 1776. *
British invasions of the Río de la Plata The British invasions of the River Plate were two unsuccessful British attempts to seize control of areas in the Spanish colony of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata that were located around the Río de la Plata in South America – in ...
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 b ...
, now part of the United States (1817–1818): 200 men commanded by Hipólito Bouchard, 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 The Cisplatine War (), also known as the Argentine-Brazilian War () or, in Argentine and Uruguayan historiography, as the Brazil War (''Guerra del Brasil''), the War against the Empire of Brazil (''Guerra contra el Imperio del Brasil'') or t ...
. (1820s) *
Uruguayan Civil War The Uruguayan Civil War, also known in Spanish as the ''Guerra Grande'' ("Great War"), was a series of armed conflicts between the leaders of Uruguayan independence. While officially the war lasted from 1839 until 1851, it was a part of armed c ...
(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, pa ...
. * Anglo-French blockade of the Río de la Plata (1845) *
Paraguayan War 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 ...
(War of the Triple Alliance) (1845) ; Argentine Republic: * 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 ...
( 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 Dubouze ...
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 William ...
, . *
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, 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 ...
,
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 ...
, 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 s ...
.


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 eas ...
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 Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...
. 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

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: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia ( Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin and the Balkans. It shares land borders with Hu ...
/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 international recognition of Kosovo, partiall ...
(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 defun ...
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 Port Belgrano Naval Base ( es, Base Naval Puerto Belgrano - BNPB) is the largest naval base of the Argentine Navy, situated next to Punta Alta, near Bahía Blanca, about south of Buenos Aires. It is named after the brigantine ''General Bel ...
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 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 (refl ...
* Military history of Argentina


References


External links

*
Official website
(archived)
Argentine Marines Unofficial website



Argentine Marine Corps Association

World 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 List of South American countries by area, second-largest ...
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 (refl ...
Military units and formations established in 1939 da:ARA