Rola Marynarki Wojennej w zapewnieniu bezpieczeństwa wewnętrznego Meksyku

What is it about?

The Mexican Navy is subordinate to the Ministry of Navy. In legal terms, it is equal to the Ministry of National Defence which functions parallel. During the period from 2006 to 2022, the Navy played a very significant role in the extensive struggle against organised crime and combating illegal migration controlled by state authorities. In recent years, also the involvement of the Navy in ensuring the functioning of other components of Mexico's internal security system has been on the increase. This refers, among other things, to rescue services, healthcare system, transport security, economic safety, environmental safety, and energy security of Mexico

Featured Image

Photo by Spencer Watson on Unsplash

Photo by Spencer Watson on Unsplash

Why is it important?

In view of the scale of its involvement in combating crime, the Navy’s position in Mexico’s homelandsecurity system is much stronger that in most democratic states. This is unsurprising, considering theplans (not only those of the incumbent president) for the armed forces to primarily be a tool forruthlessly fighting organized crime. Contrary to appearances, the Navy plays a major role in ensuringhomeland security in Mexico, not only in the seas and oceans, but also in the coastal areas. Its unitsare also used inland.A full and objective evaluation of the Navy’s operations in the area of combating organized crime isvery difficult. As has been correctly pointed out, “the supporters and opponents of engaging themilitary in such operations use arguments that, although true, are detached from the general contextof the phenomenon and are only an element of the picture”.84) Treating the operations and efficiencyof all branches of the armed forces as one, which is done by some scholars, is of secondaryimportance.On the one hand, the operations against organized crime are practical tests of the actual capabilitiesof the soldiers and sailors and their weapons. On the other hand, however, the many years of theopposition’s and citizens’ disapproval of using armed forces on such a scale and the growing extentto which the military, including the Navy, focuses on combating structures that are formed by othercitizens entail serious threats. This could lead to less civilian control over the military,85) including thepoliticizing of the Navy, with all of the negative consequences of this fact for the cohesion andcombat capabilities of the units subordinated to SEMAR. In terms of homeland security, the Navy is not only involved in fighting crime. It is also responsiblefor saving human life in Mexico’s territorial waters and supports oceanographic research and healthcare. Its operations have a positive impact on Mexico’s energy security and economic security.One may assume that involvement in such a number of areas is not only a result of governmentpolicy. The positive influence of these operations on the citizens’ confidence in the Navy is alsoimportant. In the face of an economic crisis related to the pandemic, this could also be correlated tothe fact that SEMAR is looking for additional sources of income; in this case, these would be fundsthat are officially allocated for purposes that are not related to the armed forces.The role of the military in the homeland security system, which has been growing under theincumbent president, results in the government being accused of developing a political system where“military personnel, and in particular those reporting to the Secretariat of National Defense, assumemore and more roles previously reserved for civilians and acquire more and more funds from thebudget”,86) especially as military personnel are increasingly more often “responsible for ports andcustoms duties, also building and managing large infrastructural projects”.87) It seems that thelegitimacy of these fears will be decided by the future policy of the president, who is currentlywrestling with rampant corruption in administration.One may suppose that the major changes that are currently being implemented as regards the roleof the National Guard in the area of combating internal threats will cause only a partial restriction ofthe Navy’s importance in this respect. The variety and scale of the Navy’s inland engagement by stateauthorities and popular perception show that the Navy is less corrupt than the Army. In spite of theproposals to liquidate SEMAR that are made in academic literature,88) which is justified by theexcessive bureaucracy, increasing the importance of the National Guard will not lead to the Navybeing absorbed into SEDENA.

Perspectives