Brazilian Navy

The Brazilian Navy, in Portuguese Marinha do Brasil, is the naval and coast guard branch of the armed forces of Brazil and the country maritime authority, with defense, management and constabulary roles in Brazilian waters and wider missions in the South Atlantic. The Imperial navy of the nineteenth century, organized from part of the Portuguese Navy and influenced by the Royal Navy, was key to Brazilian consolidation and policy in the Platine region, and by 1870 it ranked as the fifth largest navy in the world. Its combat fleet, the Esquadra, is based in Rio de Janeiro state, and it includes naval aviation, a marine corps of about 16,000 and a flagship helicopter carrier, frigates, diesel-electric submarines and landing ships. Naval operations are directed from Brasilia through the Navy General Staff and six naval districts, and its long-term ambitions include a nuclear submarine.