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Argentine Naval Prefecture
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The Argentine Naval Prefecture, in Spanish Prefectura Naval Argentina or PNA, is a military service of the Argentine Interior Ministry charged with protecting the country's rivers and maritime territory. It therefore fulfills the functions of other countries' coast guards, and furthermore acts as a gendarmerie force policing navigable rivers.
Prefecture was officially founded by the Argentine government in June 1810.
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Encyclopedia
The Argentine Naval Prefecture, in Spanish Prefectura Naval Argentina or PNA, is a military service of the Argentine Interior Ministry charged with protecting the country's rivers and maritime territory. It therefore fulfills the functions of other countries' coast guards, and furthermore acts as a gendarmerie force policing navigable rivers.
History
The Prefecture was officially founded by the Argentine government in June 1810. The first commander of the force was Colonel Martin Jacobo Thompson.
The Prefecture had a minor role in the Falklands War . Two PNA patrol vessels, the Islas Malvinas (GC-82) and the Rio Iguazu (GC-83), were sent to provide an Argentine coastguard service to the islands. According to the Prefecture, Rio Iguazu came into contact with a British Sea Harrier aircraft on 21 May and one member of the vessel's crew was killed while firing a 12.7 mm machine gun at the British jet. The ship ran aground, but most of its cargo -among them two 105 mm howitzers- was recovered later. The crew of the patrol boat claimed the shooting down of the aircraft, but this was later proved to be unfounded. The sortie was actually carried out by two Sea Harriers of 800 Naval Air Squadron, Nº XZ460 and XZ499, which strafed the vessel with 30 mm cannon fire.
The patrol vessel Islas Malvinas was captured and operated by the Royal Navy, as HMS Tiger Bay.
General Organization
The PNA is subordinate to the Ministry of Interior. The organization is headed by the National Naval Prefect (Prefecto Nacional Naval), currently Prefect-General Carlos Edgardo Fernandez, assisted by the Deputy National Naval Prefect (Subprefecto Nacional Naval), currently Prefect-General Ricardo Rodriguez.
The Prefecture's main facility is located in the Edificio Guardacostas (which translates as "the Coastguard Building") at 235 E. Madero Avenue, Buenos Aires.
The PNA headquarters is divided into three main departments, each headed by a Director-General with the rank of Prefecto General. These are each divided into a number of directorates, each headed by a Director with the rank of Prefect-General (Prefecto General).
- Dirección General de Seguridad (Directorate-General of Security)
- Dirección de Operaciones (Directorate of Operations)
- Dirección de Policía de Seguridad de la Navegación (Directorate of Navigation Security Police)
- Dirección de Policía Judicial, Protección Marítima y Puertos (Directorate of Judicial Police, Maritime Protection and Ports)
- Dirección de Protección Ambiental (Directorate of Environmental Protection)
- Dirección General de Logística (Directorate-General of Logistics)
- Dirección de Personal (Directorate of Personnel)
- Dirección de Material (Directorate of Materiel)
- Dirección de Educación (Directorate of Education)
- Dirección de Administración Financiera (Directorate of Financial Administration)
- Dirección de Bienestar (Directorate of Welfare)
- Dirección General de Planeamiento y Desarrollo (Directorate-General of Planning and Development)
- Dirección de Planeamiento (Directorate of Planning)
- Secretaría General (Secretariat-General; headed by the Secretary-General, a Prefecto Mayor)
Regional organization
The PNA is divided into ten zones:
- Alto Paraná (prefectures of Posadas, Iguazú, San Javier, Itá Ibaté, Ituzaingó, Libertador General San Martín, and Eldorado)
- Alto Uruguay
- Paraná Superior and Paraguay (prefectures of Corrientes, Formosa, Barranqueras, Pilcomayo, Reconquista, Goya, and Paso de la Patria e Itatí)
- Lower Uruguay (prefectures of Concepción del Uruguay, Gualeguaychú, Colón, Concordia, Salto Grande, and Federación)
- Lower Paraná
- Delta
- Río de la Plata
- North Argentine Sea
- South Argentine Sea
- Lacustre and Comahu
Prefect-General and other ranks
The highest rank of Prefect-General is held by the National Naval Prefect and many of the most senior officers of the prefecture, such as the directors of the different directrates of the national headquarters. It corresponds to the flag officer ranks of the Argentine and other navies.
Officer ranks are as follows:
- General Prefect(National Naval Prefect) (US equivalent: Admiral)
- General Prefect (Deputy National Naval Prefect) (US equivalent: Vice-Admiral)
- General Prefect (US equivalent: Rear-Admiral)
- Major Prefect (US equivalent: Captain)
- Principal Prefect (US equivalent: Commander)
- Prefect (US equivalent: Lieutenant-Commander)
- Deputy Prefect (US equivalent: Lieutenat)
- Principal Officer (US equivalent: Lieutenat Junior Grade)
- Auxiliary Officer (US equivalent: Ensign)
- Assistent Officer (US equivalent: Under Lieutenat Junior Grade)
The non-commissioned ranks are variations on the ranks of "sub-officer" and "corporal". They are the same as the other ranks of the Argentine Navy.
Aircraft Inventory
The PNA operates a small air fleet of 17 aircraft, including 10 helicopters.
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Aircraft
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Origin
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Type
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Versions
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|In service
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Notes
|-----
| Aérospatiale Puma
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| transport helicopter
| SA 330L
| 1
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|-----
| CASA C-212 Aviocar
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| maritime patrol / transport
| C-212-300
| 5
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|-----
| Aérospatiale Dauphin
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| search and rescue
| AS 365N2
| 3
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|-----
| Piper Cherokee
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| utility
| PA-28
| 2
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| Schweizer (Hughes) 300
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| utility helicopter
| 300C
| 6
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Illegal fishing
The Prefectura is constantly battling illegal fishing vessels in the Argentine Exclusive Economic Zone (ZEE), mostly from eastern countries. The Navy also collaborates in detection of such ships with their P-3 Orion and Beechcraft BE-200 Cormoran maritime surveillance aircraft.
See also
External links
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- Article in Spanish newspaper El País on 30. May 1986 about bombardment and sinking of an Taiwan trawler by the Argentine Naval Prefecture (in Spanish Language)
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