Bolivian Naval Force

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The Bolivian Naval Force (Fuerza Naval Boliviana in Spanish), formerly Bolivian Navy (Armada Boliviana) is a naval force about 5,000 strong in 2008.^[1] Although Bolivia has been landlocked since the War of the Pacific in 1879, Bolivia established a River and Lake Force (Fuerza Fluvial y Lacustre) in January 1963 under the Ministry of National Defense. It consisted of four boats supplied from the United States and 1,800 personnel recruited largely from the army. Bolivia's naval force was renamed the Bolivian Naval Force (Fuerza Naval Boliviana) in January 1966, but it also has been called the Bolivian Navy (Armada Boliviana). It became a separate branch of the armed forces in 1963. Bolivia has large rivers that are tributaries to the Amazon which are patrolled to prevent smuggling and drug trafficking. There is also a Bolivian Naval presence on Lake Titicaca, the highest navigable lake in the world, across which runs the Peruvian frontier.

Landlocked Bolivia has not become reconciled with the loss of its coast to Chile, and the Navy exists to keep the hope of recovering its coast alive by cultivating a maritime consciousness.^{[citation needed]} The Bolivian Navy takes part in many parades and government functions, but none more so than the Día Del Mar (Day of the Sea) in which Bolivia, every year, asks for the coast territories lost to Chile during the War of the Pacific (fought between Peru and Bolivia against Chile) from 1879 to 1884. This is still a sore point for Bolivia, influencing many modern day political actions and trade decisions.

Contents 1 Organization 2 Strength 2.1 Boats 2.2 Naval aviation 2.3 Naval Infantry 3 See also 4 References

[edit] Organization

The Navy is organized into ten naval districts, with flotilla headquarters in Guaqui, Guayaramerín, Puerto Suarez, Riberalta, and San Pedro de Tiquina, and bases in Puerto Busch, Puerto Horquilla, Puerto Villarroel, Trinidad, and Rurrenabaque.

Naval vessels included several dozen boats, dozen or more of which are for riverine patrol, including the piranias, and riders, powerful river boats. Also ocean ships including the PR-51- Santa Cruz de la Sierra made in the USA, and several seagoing vessels that navegate the oceans with the Bolivian flag, with the granted permission of the "Capitanias Navales" Naval Registration Office. The Libertador Simón Bolívar, a ship acquired from Venezuela, use to navegate from its home port in Rosario, Argentina on the River Paraná. In 1993, the Navy was formally renamed the Naval Force (Fuerza Naval) and moved with the Bolivian Army under a single military authority.

Most of the officers are highly educated in the Naval Academy where they graduate with a BS in Military and Naval Science, diploma accredited by the Military University and then they do other studies at the bachelor’s degree and master’s level. Argentina has their Naval Military Group in Bolivia advising at the highest level in naval strategy and tactics. Many Bolivian officers practice ocean sailing in Argentinean big naval ships. The Argentinean instructors often are very surprised about how well the Bolivian navy officers command the ships in their first experience. The Bolivian Navy has several Special Forces units and it has high readiness to solve any kind of internal or external conflict.

[edit] Strength

[edit] Boats

The Bolivian Navy has a total of 173 vessels, mostly stationed on Lake Titicaca:

• 91 3-man river patrol boats
• 37 logistic support boats
• 44 river transports^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Naval aviation

Bolivia's navy operates two utility aircraft for the use of headquarters.

Aircraft	Origin	Type	Versions	In service[2]	Notes
Cessna 206 Stationair	United States	Utility	206G	1
Cessna 402	United States	Utility	402C	1

[edit] Naval Infantry

Bolivia's Navy includes about 2,000 naval infantry personnel and marines,

[edit] See also

• Navies of landlocked countries

[edit] References

• Bolivian Navy - official website (Spanish)
• Bolivian Navy from Nations Encyclopedia
• Bolivian Navy Ensign

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