Colombian National Navy (Armada de Colombia)

The Colombian Navy, officially the Colombian National Navy (Spanish: Armada Nacional de la República de Colombia), also known as the «Armada Nacional» or just the «Armada» in Spanish, is the naval branch of the military forces of Colombia. The Navy is responsible for security and defence in the Colombian zones of both the Atlantic (Caribbean) and Pacific oceans, the extensive network of rivers inside the country, and a few small land areas under its direct jurisdiction.

The Colombian Navy has a strength of 35,086 personnel as of September 2013 including approximately 22,000 in the Marine Infantry corps.

The acronym «ARC», (Spanish: Armada de la República de Colombia) is used both as the official ship prefix for all the Colombian Navy ships, as well as a common short name for the Navy itself.

The Colombian Navy operates with 8 specialized forces or commands across the territory:

1. Marine Infantry Command
2. Naval Force of the Pacific
3. Naval Force of the Caribbean
4. Naval Force of the South
5. Naval Force of the East
6. Coast Guard Command
7. Navy Aviation Command
8. Specific Command of San Andres y Providencia.