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two bases, th 'IC' ^uert0 Belgrano Naval Base is headquarters for the Chief of aval Operations, a vice admiral (two £ st who is responsible to the naval °mrnander-in-Chief for control of all
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atlng forces: i.e., sea forces (surface submarine), naval aviation, and
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-Commander-in-Chief, Chief
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The Republic of Argentina has a C0astline of more than 2,500 miles, and claims territorial waters of 12 nautical miles with an exclusive eco- n°mic zone of 200 miles. The Argen- tlna Prefectura Naval (Coast Guard) is a relatively small dependency of the rniada Argentina (Argentine Navy) Wlth assets sufficient only to police r*Vers and harbors. The responsibility r protecting Argentine national maritime interests is the navy’s.
Shore Establishment: The Argentine n.aval headquarters is located in a mas- ‘Ve building, the Edificio Libertad, in Uenos Aires. Here the Armada's 0rr>rnander-in-Chief (a three-star ad- ^'ral) and Chief of the General Staff (a 'Star admiral) preside over normal aI administrative, planning, and lcy matters. Virtually every major ^•nistrative section is located in building. ne Armada s major bases are lo- ab^ °n C^e °b Bahia Blanca, ^out 400 miles southwest of Buenos p res. These are the naval base at .Uert° Belgrano, complete with dry cer]kS an<^ repair facilities, the adja- ^ marine corps base at Baterias, and naval air station Comandante Espora about 15 miles from the
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and
r|Nes. Each operating force is under c°mmand of a rear admiral (one t '> with the Commander, Sea f0(jes’ being the most senior. The ^Ur highest’ ranking officers in the e General Staff, Chief of Naval tations, and Commander, Sea Sej must be line officers from the 'tit °rces’ The marine corps is a fully th<.e^ratec^ branch of the Armada, with nav0n)y outward difference between ar,d marine dress and service Pin Un‘borms being a marine corps crossed cannons for officers or crossed rifles on the rating badges of enlisted personnel.
Operating Forces: The Commander, Sea Forces, has his headquarters at Puerto Belgrano. Major surface forces are home-ported there and consist of the light carrier 25 de Mayo, the Brooklyn -class cruiser (ex-USS Phoenix [CL-46]) General Belgrano, two British “Type-42” DDGs, two destroyer divisions consisting of ex-U. S. Sumner, Gearing (FRAM II), and Fletcher-class DDs, three French “Aviso A-69”-Type corvettes, a six-vessel antimine squadron of ex-British minehunters and minesweepers, an ex-U. S. Casa Grande-class LSD, an LST design based on the U. S. De Soto County class, an ex-British AO, and five ex-U. S. ATFs.
The submarine force presently consists of two ex-U. S. “Guppy”-class and two German “Type-209” boats and is stationed at the Mar Del Plata Naval Base, about 250 miles southeast of Buenos Aires. A force of amphibious commandos (marines) and an underwater demolition group (navy) are also located there.
A force of modern German and Israeli and ex-U. S. torpedo and swift boats is stationed at the Ushuaia Naval Base, the world's southernmost city, in the territory of Tierra Del Fuego.
The naval air forces consist of attack squadrons of A-4Qs and Aeromacchi MC-32s, antisubmarine fixed-wing squadrons of P-2 Neptunes and S-2E Trackers, ASW helo squadrons of SH-3 Sea Kings, AI-03 Alouettes, and Westland WG-13 Sea Lynx, a training squadron with T-34CS, and a support squadron with Beechcraft B-80s and B-200s, Fokker F-28s, and Electra and Porter Pilatus aircraft. As previously mentioned, Comandante Espora is the main naval air station and serves as the headquarters of Commander, Naval Aviation. A training base is located at Punta Indio, at the mouth of the River Plate estuary, and other important bases are located at Trelew in Patagonia and Rio Grande and Ushuaia in Tierra Del Fuego.
The Commander of the Marine
Corps has his headquarters at the Baterias Base. The corps, which is modeled after the U. S. World War II Marine Corps, consists of one brigade, one “force,” and an amphibious support force and has important detachments in Trelew and Rio Gallegos in Patagonia and Rio Grande in Tierra Del Fuego. The marines do not have their own air arm.
The Armada has important supply responsibilities in the provinces in Patagonia and the National Territory of Tierra del Fuego. Since there are limited private steamship services to these areas (or to the Islas Malvinas—Falkland Islands—disputed with Great Britain), the Naval Transport Service provides regular service to them with three chartered, civilian- manned transports and three naval transports with seven or eight regular navy officers and civilian crews.
Argentina claims sovereignty over all “lands and icecaps on the Antarctic Continent, the ice shelves contiguous with it, and islands and groups of islands between the meridians 25° and 74°, south of the 60th parallel”1 to the South Pole. The Armada's Antarctic Group carries out the supply functions for Argentine Antarctic bases with the new 12,000-ton icebreaker Almirante Irizar (of Finnish construction) and one transport and an ATF operating from Buenos Aires and the Antarctic Support Base at Ushuaia.
1'°oe
!edings / March 1981
135
Presently a mixture of modern and obsolescent ships and aircraft, the Armada will undergo a vigorous naval modernization program. The old destroyers will be replaced within the next few years by German "Meko- 360H2” frigates. These gas turbine- powered vessels will carry a modularized suite of antisurface, antiair, and antisubmarine armaments, a complete electronic warfare suite, and two Sea Lynx helicopters which can also be armed with missiles for an antisurface role. In addition, six “Meko Type- 140” modularized corvettes will be constructed in Argentina, and it is possible that a new underway replenishment ship, possibly French,
| Table 1 Officer Structure | Time In | Tinte In |
Grade | U. S. Equivalent | Grade | Service |
Superior Officers |
|
|
|
Almirante | Vice Admiral |
|
|
Vicealmirante | Rear Admiral* | 3 | 35 |
Contraalmirante | Rear Admiral** | 3 | 32 |
Capstan de Navio “Chief” Officers (Jefes) | Captain | 5 | 29 |
Capstan de Pragata | Commander | 5 | 24 |
Capstan de Corbet a Junior Officers | Lieutenant Commander | 5 | 19 |
Teniente de Navio | Lieutenant | 6 | 14 |
Tentente de Fra gat a | Lieutenant (j.g.) | 3 | 8 |
Teniente de Corbet a | Ensign | 3 | 5 |
Guardiamarina | Midshipman*** | 2 | 2 |
•Upper Half; **Lower Half |
|
|
|
•••Midshipman is the most junior officer grade in the Armada. Students at | the Naval Academy are | ||
called cadets. | Table 2 Estlisted Structure | Time In | Time In |
Grade | U. S. Equivalent | Grade | Service |
Senior Enlisted |
|
|
|
Suboficial Mayor | Master Chief Petty Off. |
|
|
Suboficial Principal | Senior Chief Petty Off. | 3 | 26 |
Suboficial Primero | Chief Petty Off. | 4 | 23 |
Suboficial Segundo Junior Enlisted | First Class Petty Off. | 5 | 19 |
Cabo Principal | Second Class Petty Off. | 4 | 14 |
Cabo Primero | Third Class Petty Off. | 4 | 10 |
Cabo Segundo Troops | Seaman | 4 | 6 |
Marinero Primero | Seaman Apprentice | 1 | 2 |
Marinero Segundo | Seaman Recruit | 1 | 1 |
may be purchased.
To upgrade the submarine forces, two 1,700-ton boats are presently being built in German yards. Additional units of this class will possibly be constructed in Argentina.
Naval aviation will shortly be upgraded with the arrival of already purchased French Super-Etendards to replace the aging A-4 fleet of carrier- based attack aircraft. Additional Sea Lynx have also been purchased.
With the 200-mile economic zone, there is an urgent need for modern maritime aircraft. Recent U. S. restrictions limit the possibility of obtaining coveted P-3 Orions, but the possible solution could be the pur
136 chase of French Atlantics.
Personnel: The Armada totals approximately 22,000 men, of which approximately 3,000 are officers, 15,000 contractual enlisted, and 4,000 conscripts.
Officer personnel are divided among the naval line (surface, aviation, submarine), marine corps, and various professional corps, including engineers, lawyers, supply officers, chaplains, doctors, dentists, and other health professionals (nurses are enlisted personnel).
All line and marine corps officers are graduates of the Escuela Naval (naval academy) at Rio Santiago. The course consists of four years of
the naval academy, but only attend two years after first completinS five-year business high school cur riculum in regular state or Privat\ schools. They too make the Libert voyage. ^
Engineers, chaplains, lawyers, health professionals enter the service from their respective studies, and art a six-month orientation course, commissioned lieutenants ()un grade). They, however, must spen' additional year in each grade.
The officer grades (U. S. equivalents), required time rn grade, and total service time shown in Table 1.
The naval line is divided into specializations (“orientations”). 1 ^ are gunnery/fire control, ASW _ munications, propulsion, and e^eCtl^fe ity for the surface line. Submarines divided into the latter four. DeSI^e specializations are requested m first year of commissioned service! the selections are made the fof>° year according to seniority (base class standing at the naval acaue and the needs of the Armada■ 1° . fourth year of commissioned serv
based mainly ^
Marine officers are specialized ,n^ fantry, artillery, and communrca ^ Aviators specialize in attack, wing ASW patrol, and helicopter5■ ^
An important later career miles1 ^ for all line officers is the naval ^ar lege in Buenos Aires which is usU ^ attended in the third or fourth y lieutenant commander (17th or ^ year of commissioned service). SuC
Proceedings / Mar0*1
An Argentine Alouette-Ill is recovered on board one of the Armada'j ex-U. S. destroyers.
a pro
of equipment was purchased. Argentine naval officer is well ar[1]d cognizant of recent naval de- 'Pments, being familiar not only
y0uTVa) ln buenos Aires. Argentine the S ma7 enter this school between c0a^es °f 16 and 19 after successful Cou f* etlon of primary studies. The ttiil^6 iosttuction includes basic st1p)'tary training, secondary school rap^ectS’ such as mathematics, geog- y> history, and Spanish, and func
completion of this course makes °ne ^igible for first- and second-rank c°mrnands. Eligibility for third-rank c°mrnands (m inesweepers, tugs, transports, or large torpedo boats) C°mes in the last year as a lieutenant c°mmander (19th year of commis- l0ned service), for "second-rank” 0rnmands (destroyers, corvettes, citnine squadrons, oilers, torpedo/ 1 c boat squadrons) in the last year and°mrnanC[2] *er year of service),
first-rank commands (carrier, lser, guided-missile destroyers, de-
last^6r ^’v‘s‘on’ naval bases) in the . year as captain (29th year of serv-
j- Argentine naval officer is ^Ssional, having acquired a basic ari^ ground in his world-sailing cruise I ^lrst three years at sea, and having jr(^rnttl and practiced a specialization pf subsequent 14 years of service. atler functional training is obtained naval instruction centers or in for- n countries from which a particular
The read vel<y
t ^ ’■be Proceedings but also various Pean maritime and naval affairs Ezines.
A11
Ceer>listed personnel (with the ex- 'r11 conscr‘Pts) are graduates of Aj asic training school (Escuela de
tional training in their future rating. All personnel take a placement exam to determine aptitudes and then are placed according to the results in a program of studies for a rating in one of the six basic areas. The total time spent at the basic school varies from one to three years, depending on the particular rating. Successful completion of the school incurs a four-year service obligation. Subsequent periods of reenlistment are also for four years, and there is, at present, a reenlistment bonus of approximately $2,000 payable for every reenlistment.
The enlisted ratings (U. S. Navy equivalents), required time in grade, and the total time in service are shown in Table 2. Advancement is based on rime in service and annual evaluation reports, with advancement exams required in only a few cases. Team and advanced individual training is available at naval instruction centers or overseas as it is for officers.
The Argentine petty officer is, like his officer counterpart, a professional.
Like most Free World navies, the Armada is presently experiencing shortages in enlisted ratings and junior officer ranks. A short-term source of enlisted manpower for the Armada comes from universal military service. At the age of 18, all Argentine youths enter into a national draft lottery. Those drafted into the navy serve 14 months, of which 2 months are spent in basic training. Conscripts generally serve in the deck, engineering, and supply departments and relieve contractual personnel of some of the more mundane duties. Conscripts make up about 10% of a destroyer’s company, but probably reach percentages in excess of 66% of some marine units.
Ties with the U. S. Navy: Although the original and traditional influences of the Armada come from the Spanish Armada and the Royal Navy, the U. S. Navy’s influence on the Armada has been significant throughout its history. During the Argentine War of Independence, more than 30 U. S. vessels served as privateers against Spanish shipping under Argentine Letters of Marque.2 The contracting of U. S. naval officer advisors, which began in 1934, later blossomed into a de facto naval mission that was organized under the U. S. Military Group in 1964 and continues today. Despite present military assistance restrictions, the Armada seems to have a preference for U. S. gear and methods. The Armada uses Allied signal books and numerous other warfare and communications publications as its own. In addition, there has been near-continuous participation by the Armada in the yearly UNITAS cruises since their inception. There is a Personnel Exchange Program Agreement between the U. S. Navy and the Armada, with a U. S. officer serving in Argentine units in Puerto Belgrano, while an Argentine officer serves in U. S. naval units in San Diego. In addition, the Armada annually hosts two U. S. midshipmen for their first class summer cruises.
The future of the Armada looks bright.
*Decrero-Ley No. 2.191 del 28 de Febrero de 1957.
“El Corso de La Guerra Naval De La Indepen- dencia," Manual de Historia Maritima Argentina, Serie B, No. 19, p. 23, 1 June 1975.
137
[1]tn the Argentine Navy and is assigned to the Second Destroyer Squadron in Puerto Belgrano.
Jtenant Kurzanski is an Exchange Officer