Argentine Marines
The Naval Infantry Command (Spanish: Comando de la Infantería de Marina, COIM), also known as the Naval Infantry of the Navy of the Argentine Republic (Spanish: 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 and one of its four operational commands.
| Argentine Navy Infantry | |
|---|---|
| Infantería de Marina de la Armada de la República Argentina | |
| Active | 1807-present |
| Country | Argentina |
| Branch | Argentine Navy |
| Type | Marines |
| Role | Amphibious Warfare |
| Size | 5,500 |
| Part of | Argentine Navy |
| Motto(s) | PATRIAE SEMPER VIGILES (Always vigilant for the Fatherland) |
| March | Marcha de la Infantería de Marina (Marine march) |
| Anniversaries | 19 November 1879 |
| Website | argentina.gob.ar/imara |
| Commanders | |
| Current | Rear. Adm. Pedro Eugenio Galardi |
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 and the Falklands War. 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 of 1990.
Today Argentine naval infantry are frequently deployed on UN peace-keeping missions.