Editing Spanish Navy (section)

==Current status==
{{Sidebar
|navbar = none
|title      = Spanish Navy
|image      = [[File:Emblem of the Spanish Navy.svg|40px]]
|contentstyle = text-align:left
|heading1 = Components
|content1 = [[List of active Spanish Navy ships|Surface Fleet]]<br> [[Spanish Naval Air Arm]]<br> [[Spanish Navy#Submarines|Submarine Service]]<br> [[Spanish Navy Marines]]<br> [[Unidad de Operaciones Especiales|Special Operations]]
|heading2 = History
|content2 = [[Spanish Navy#History|History of the Armada]]<br> [[Spanish Navy#The Contemporary Spanish Navy (20th and 21st Centuries)|Future of the Armada]]
|heading3 = Ships
|content3 = [[List of active Spanish Navy ships|Current Fleet]]<br> [[List of future Spanish Navy ships|Future ships]]<br> [[List of retired Spanish Navy ships|Historic ships]]
|heading4 = Personnel
|content4 = [[Structure of the Spanish Navy in the 21st century|Structure of the Armada]]<br> [[Spanish Royal Academy of Naval Engineers|Academy of Naval Engineers]]<br> [[Escuela Naval Militar de Oficiales|Officer naval academy]]<br> [[Spanish Navy#Ranks|Officer ranks of the Armada]]
}}
Subordinate to the Spanish Chief of Naval Staff, stationed in Madrid, are four area commands: the Cantabrian Maritime Zone with its headquarters at [[Ferrol, A Coruña|Ferrol]] on the Atlantic coast; the Straits Maritime Zone with its headquarters at [[San Fernando, Cádiz|San Fernando]] near Cádiz; the Mediterranean Maritime Zone with its headquarters at Cartagena; and the Canary Islands Maritime Zone with its headquarters at [[Las Palmas de Gran Canaria]]. Operational naval units are classified by mission and assigned to either the combat forces, the protective forces, or the auxiliary forces. Combat forces are given the tasks of conducting offensive and defensive operations against potential enemies and for assuring maritime communications. Their principal vessels include a carrier group, naval aircraft, transports, landing vessels, submarines, and missile-armed [[fast attack craft]]. Protective forces have the mission of securing maritime communications over both ocean and coastal routes, securing the approaches to ports and maritime terminals. Their principal components are frigates, [[corvette]]s, and minesweepers. It also has marine units for the defense of naval installations. Auxiliary forces are responsible for transportation and provisioning at sea and has diverse tasks like coast guard operations, scientific work, and maintenance of training vessels. In addition to supply ships and tankers, the force included destroyers and a large number of patrol craft.

Until February 2013, when it was decommissioned because of budget cuts,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.murciatoday.com/the-principe-de-asturias-will-be-decommissioned-today_14925-a.html|title=The Principe De Asturias Will Be Decommissioned Today|date=2 June 2013|work=Murcia Today|access-date=8 May 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130612015716/http://www.murciatoday.com/the-principe-de-asturias-will-be-decommissioned-today_14925-a.html|archive-date=12 June 2013|url-status=live}}</ref> the second largest vessel of the ''Armada'' was the aircraft carrier ''Príncipe de Asturias'', which entered service in 1988 after completing sea trials. Built in Spain, it was designed with a "ski-jump" takeoff deck. Its complement was 29 [[AV-8 Harrier II]] vertical (or short) takeoff and landing (V/STOL) aircraft or 16 helicopters designed for anti-submarine warfare and to support marine landings.

{{As of|2012}}, the Armada has a strength of 20,800 personnel.<ref>{{cite web|title=Presupuesto del Ministerio de Defensa|date=October 2012|page=454|url=http://www.defensa.gob.es/Galerias/presupuestos/presupuesto-defensa-2012.pdf|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130125221512/http://www.defensa.gob.es/Galerias/presupuestos/presupuesto-defensa-2012.pdf|archive-date=25 January 2013}}</ref>

===Infantería de Marina===
{{Main|Spanish Navy Marines}}

The Infantería de Marina is the marine infantry of the Spanish Navy, and the oldest marine corps in existence in the world. It has a strength of 11,500 troops and is divided into base defense forces and landing forces. One of the three base defense battalions is stationed with each of the Navy headquarters. "Groups" (midway between battalions and regiments) are stationed in Madrid and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. The ''[[Tercio]]'' (fleet&nbsp;— regiment equivalent) is available for immediate embarkation and based out of San Fernando. Its principal weapons include [[light tank]]s, [[armored personnel vehicle]]s, self-propelled artillery, and [[TOW missile|TOW]] and [[Dragon missile|Dragon]] [[anti-tank missile]]s.