The Commander-in-Chief of the Navy

Valparaiso, Sotomayor Square. In the foreground one can see the monument commemorating the heroes of the Naval Action at Iquique, and, in the background, the headquarters of the Chilean Navy.

Valparaiso, Sotomayor Square. In the foreground one can see the monument commemorating the heroes of the Naval Action at Iquique, and, in the background, the headquarters of the Chilean Navy.

The Institution's highest Command. The Commander-in-Chief works with a set of direct advisory bodies formed by Officers who carry out the Navy's High Command. These include the Strategic Planning Council (for institutional direction issues), the Economic Council (for budgetary and financial control matters) and the Naval Council (which handles institutional management issues). Likewise, the Commander-in-Chief's command body includes Chief of Staff and a Secretary General, a Comptroller, a Judge Advocate General and a set of management control systems.

The chain of command flows from the President of the Republic of Chile to the Commanders-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, via the Ministry of National Defence.

The Navy has the human, financial and material resources necessary to achieve its mission at sea. This implies a complex organizational structure together with modern systems of administration and management control.

Advisory working body to the Commander-in-Chief in all aspects relating to high-level institutional planning and direction. It carries out the functions of high-level planning and coordination with the other high-level commanding bodies.

Responsible for high-level management of the Navy's human resources. It is responsible for the selection, incorporation, education, promotion and retirement of Navy personnel. Accordingly, a series of specialized technical bodies manage the areas of education, medical care, welfare and religious assistance.

This body is in charge of the high-level management of naval operation procedures aimed at achieving the strategic objectives assigned to the Navy. It is responsible for training the Naval Forces so that they may carry out operations included in the relevant planning programs and for directing operations determined by the Commander-in-Chief. The Command of Naval Operations manages the Fleet, the Submarine Force, Naval Aviation, the Marine Corps and Special Forces, and the Amphibious Transport Command.

Responsible for the high-level management of the Navy's material and technological resources. It is in charge of creating and maintaining the means by which the Navy operates, as well as the norms that ensure their efficient and consistent use. In order to fulfil these objectives, its divisions include technical and logistical agencies specialized in the areas of regulations, research and development, procurement, project management, and maintenance.

It is through this naval body that Chile ensures its compliance with prevailing international laws and agreements aimed at protecting human life at sea, the marine environment, marine natural resources, and regulating all activities developed within this framework, thus contributing to the nation's maritime development. The Directorate coordinates its activities via the Maritime Interests and Aquatic Environment Directorate and the Security and Maritime Operations Directorate.

Responsible for proposing and implementing the Navy's financial policies, carrying out a comprehensive control of the institution's financial-accounting management, and establishing the general norms and procedures as regards budgetary, accounting, cost control and financial matters. In order to fulfil these objectives, the Directorate manages a series of technical bodies specialized in budgetary and accountancy matters.