Present
The 25,000-person navy, including 5,200 Marines, is directed by Admiral Edmundo Gonzalez. Of the fleet of sixty-six surface vessels (soon to be increased to seventy-four), twenty-one are major combatant ships based in Valparaíso. The navy operates its own aircraft for transport and patrol; there are no fighter or bomber aircraft. The Navy also operates four submarines and a tender ship to support them, all based in Talcahuano. The Navy permits the integration of Chile's Pacific and Southern island regions, thus integrating its disjointed geography. The transport of passengers, especially during the school year or in cases of emergency, together with the supply of provisions and fuel, are of key importance to the inhabitants of these insular zones.
The Chilean Navy is generally considered to be among the most capable and professional in the Americas, considered by specialists the third most capable navy in the Americas, behind Brazilian and American navies, and is heavily aligned with significant naval powers such as the British Royal Navy.
The institution regularly carries out civil operations whereby Navy professionals provide social assistance and health care to the civilian population, and provide support in cases of natural catastrophe.
It also undertakes preventative education campaigns for Chile's population on issues that include security on beaches and seaside resorts and measures to be taken in the case of a tsunami.
The most important naval bases and supply depots are (from north to south) in the Pacific Ocean: Iquique, Easter Island, Valparaíso, Talcahuano, Puerto Montt, in the Atlantic zone: Strait of Magellan: Punta Arenas, in the Beagle Channel: Puerto Williams, and in Antarctica: Captain Arturo Prat Base. These are now spread into 5 Naval Zones: the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th Naval Zones.
Read more about this topic: Chilean Navy
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