The National Navy of Uruguay (Spanish: Armada Nacional del Uruguay) is a branch of the Uruguayan Armed Forces under the direction of the Ministry of National Defense and the commander in chief of the Navy (Comandante en Jefe de la Armada or COMAR) Admiral Juan H. Fernández.
The service is divided into four main sections:
- Fleet Command (Comando de la Flota or COMFLO),
- Coast Guard (Prefectura Nacional Naval or PRENA),
- Materiel Directorate (Dirección General de Material Naval or DIMAT), and
- Personnel Directorate (Dirección General de Personal Naval or DIPER).
The Fleet Command is in charge of most of the actual ships of the fleet, the marines, and the naval aviation bases and aircraft. The Coast Guard administers the modest Uruguayan merchant marine and naval registry. The Naval Materiel Directorate preserves and repairs naval equipment, in addition to administering the fleet arsenal and directing hydrological and meteorological study. The Personnel Directorate is concerned with human resources and particularly the administration of the Uruguayan Naval Academy.
In addition, the Fleet General Staff (Estado Mayor General de la Armada or ESMAY) assists the admiral in his administration. It oversees naval intelligence, strategic and tactical planning, logistics, liaison, and political lobbying on the Navy's behalf.