Namibian Navy

The Namibian Navy is the maritime warfare branch of the Namibian Defence Force.

History
Development of Namibia's navy has been slow. The force was only formally established on 11 September 1998 as a maritime wing, and in 2004 as a fully-fledged navy, fourteen years after independence.

Extensive Brazilian aid has assisted in the navy's development. Initially a group of four trainees were dispatched to the Naval Academy in Brazil, complemented by ten officers from the Namibian Army. These personnel formed the core group that were sent to Brazil in August 1995 after Walvis Bay had been integrated into Namibia in 1994. This group, led by Phestus Sacharia, consisted of officers such as Peter Vilho, Sinsy Nghipandua, Alweendo Amungulu, and Petrus Tjandja, would be the future Headquarters staff and ship captains. Later in the 1990s, two more groups were sent to Brazil to study at Admiral Wandenkolk Instruction Center in Rio de Janeiro.

An ongoing co-operation program allows Namibian sailors and naval officers to be trained by the Brazilian Navy; by 2009, 466 seamen had been trained. Brazil also provided assistance in preparing a nautical chart of the approach to Walvis Bay and consulting in charting the outer limits of the continental shelf. The Brazilian Navy has also trained the Namibian Marine Corps.

Operations
The Navy's maritime wing headquarters was established in 1998, while in 2000 construction of a naval base began at Walvis Bay. The first maritime wing commander was Captain Phestus Sacharia.

The Navy has approximately 1200 personnel and deploys a small number of lightly armed patrol vessels.

The first ship to be commissioned into service was the donated patrol boat Oryx in 2002. In 2004, Brazil and Namibia signed an agreement for the delivery of a patrol boat and two smaller patrol craft. The newly built 200-ton patrol boat NS Brendan Simbwaye, built at the Brazilian shipyard INACE, was commissioned on 19 January 2009.

Role
The Ministry of Defence has outlined the naval policy as follows: "'In peacetime, the Navy of the NDF have a role of augmenting civil offshore patrol forces, particularly providing the means and the expertise to execute enforcement action effectively. Specific tasks include assisting civil forces to combat illegal immigration, smuggling (arms, drugs etc.) and threats to the environment; conducting maritime surveillance, search and rescue; and assisting the Ministry of Fisheries with enforcing a fisheries protection regime. A longer term peacetime task is the protection of offshore oil, gas, diamonds and other installations. A navy aerial surveillance component is a necessary part of the defence system.'"

Fleet
The fleet is operationally divided into four squadrons, based on the different roles of the craft. The squadrons, which became active on 24 May 2018, are:
 * Combat Squadron
 * Combat Support Squadron
 * Coastal Patrol Squadron
 * Harbour Patrol Squadron

Other boats
In 2012/2013 the Namibian Navy ordered 19 new craft from Kobus Naval Design and Veercraft Marine of South Africa.
 * 5x 4-meter rowboats
 * 5x 6-meter RHIBs
 * 2x 6-meter harbour patrol boats
 * 2x 8-meter boarding boats
 * 2x 8-meter swamp boats
 * 1x 11-meter landing craft
 * 2x 14-meter interceptors

Decommissioned ships

 * 1 Imperial Marinheiro class corvette – 1025 standard tons (1954)
 * NS Lt Gen Dimo Hamaambo – ex Brazilian Navy

Old Naval Base
The 'Old Naval Base' in Walvis Bay functions as the current headquarters of the Namibian Marine Corps.

Organisation
The navy is a hierarchical organisation with the navy commander exercising overall command. The Navy Commander is always a 2 star flag officer who is then deputized by two 1 star flag officers heading  the  Naval Operations and the Naval Support directorates. The two directorates are made up of divisions headed by Chiefs of Staff(COS) who are usually Captain(N). Division of Naval Plans & Naval Operations falls under Naval Operations Directorate, while Naval Personnel & Naval ICT falls under Naval Support Directorate. The Navy is further augmented by the Namibian Marine Corps. The navy has 1200 personnel, most of whom have been trained in Brazil and South Africa.

Navy Commander
The following officers have held the appointment of Navy Commander or its previous title Maritime Wing Commander since the commissioning of the Maritime Wing on 11 September 1998
 * 1998–2002 Captain (N) Phestus Sacharia
 * 2002–2017 Rear Admiral Peter Vilho
 * 2017–2020 Rear Admiral Sinsy Nghipandua
 * 2020-incumbent Rear Admiral Alweendo Amungulu

Master at arms of the Navy
The Master at arms of the Navy is the senior most appointment a Warrant Officer Class one my hold at the Navy. Roles of the Master at Arms include ensuring that discipline, drills, dressing code, performance standards and morale of the non-commissioned officers are maintained.


 * 1998–2007 WO1 DJ Angolo
 * 2007 -unknown W01 Hamunyela
 * unknown-currently WO1 Kamati

Marines
The Namibian Marine Corps are a unit of the Navy. Its role is to provide naval infantry, amphibious, diving and small boat capability to the Navy. They are a battalion strong. The marines are trained by Brazilian naval instructors at the Naval Training School near Walvis Bay. The marine commandant is Captain Olavi T. Shipunda.

Ranks and insignia
Naval ranks and insignia are based on the Royal Navy. Non-Commissioned Officers only retain the ranks as their insignia consists of a system of chevrons. The same ranks are also used by the Namibian Marine Corps. The highest rank in peace time a commissioned officer can attain in the navy is Rear Admiral. There may however be an exception when a naval officer is appointed as Chief of the Defence Force for which the individual which ascend to the rank of Vice-Admiral. The highest rank an enlisted member can attain is Warrant Officer Class 1 but the highest appointment is Namibian Defence Force Sergeant Major.

Commissioned officer ranks
The rank insignia of commissioned officers.

Other ranks
The rank insignia of non-commissioned officers and enlisted personnel.