Editing Spanish Navy (section)

====Post World War II====
[[File:Torrevieja - Museo Flotante, Submarino S-61 (1).jpg|thumb|left|Submarine {{ship|Spanish submarine|Delfín|S61|2}}, preserved as [[museum ship]] in [[Torrevieja]] ([[Province of Alicante|Alicante]]), becoming the first "floating museum" of these characteristics in Spain]]
[[File:Spanish carrier Dedalo at Naval Station Rota 1976.JPEG|thumb|Spanish [[aircraft carrier]] {{ship|Spanish aircraft carrier|Dédalo||2}} (ex {{USS|Cabot|CVL-28|6}}), flagship between 1975 and 1989, tied up at a pier at [[Naval Station Rota]] in 1976]]
[[File:SNS Principe de Asturias (R11) during Dragon Hammer 92.jpg|thumb|Spanish aircraft carrier {{ship|Spanish aircraft carrier|Príncipe de Asturias||2}}, flagship between 1989 and 2010, during the joint exercise Dragon Hammer '92]]

Since the mid-20th century, the Spanish Navy began a process of reorganization to once again become one of the major navies of the world. After the development of the {{sclass|Baleares|frigate}}s based on the [[US Navy]]'s {{sclass|Knox|frigate|4}}, the Spanish Navy embraced the American [[naval doctrine]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.militar.org.ua/militar/artilleria/artilleria-naval-meroka-ciws.html|title=Defensa Antimisil Meroka|website=Foro Militar General|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101208194557/http://www.militar.org.ua/militar/artilleria/artilleria-naval-meroka-ciws.html|archive-date=8 December 2010|language=es}}</ref> Spain became a member of [[NATO]] in 1982 and the Armada Española has taken part in many coalition peacekeeping operations, from [[SFOR]] to [[Haiti]] and other locations around the world. The Armada is a modern navy with an [[aircraft carrier]] group, a modern [[Spanish ship Juan Carlos I (L61)|strategic amphibious ship]] (which replaced a dedicated [[Spanish aircraft carrier Príncipe de Asturias|aircraft carrier]] in 2011), modern frigates (F-100 class) with the [[Aegis Combat System]], F-80-class frigates, [[minesweeper]]s, new {{sclass2|S-80|submarine}}s, amphibious ships and various other ships, including oceanographic [[research ship]]s.

The Armada's [[special operations]] and unconventional warfare capability is embodied in the Naval Special Warfare Command ('''Mando de Guerra Naval Especial'''), which is under the direct control of the Admiral of the Fleet.  The unit in charge of special operations is the ''Naval Special Warfare Force'' ('''Fuerza de Guerra Naval Especial'''), which is a merge of the previous ''Special Operations Unit'' ([[Unidad de Operaciones Especiales (UOE)]]) and the ''Special'' ''Combat Diver Unit'' ('''Unidad Especial de Buceadores de Combate (UEBC)'''). This unit is trained in maritime counter-terrorism, specialized combat diving and swimming, coastal infiltration, ship boarding, direct action, special reconnaissance, hydrographic reconnaissance and underwater demolitions.

Armada officers receive their education at the [[Escuela Naval Militar|Spanish Naval Academy]] (ENM). They are recruited through two different methods:
* '''Militar de Complemento:''' Similar to the U.S. [[ROTC]] program, students are college graduates who enroll in the navy. They spend a year at the Naval Academy and then are commissioned as ensigns and Marine second lieutenants. This path is growing in prestige. Their career stops at the rank of commander (for the Navy) and for the Marines, lieutenant colonel.
* '''Militar de Carrera:''' Students spend one year in the Naval Academy if they apply to the Supply Branch or the Engineering Branch, and five years if they apply as General Branch or Marines, receiving a university degree-equivalent upon graduation and being commissioned as ensigns and Marine second lieutenants.