Secretariat of the Navy

The Mexican Secretary of the Navy (Secretaría de Marina, SEMAR) is a member of the federal executive cabinet as well as the highest-ranking Mexican naval officer with the responsibility of commanding the Mexican Navy (including the Mexican Naval Infantry or ‘marines,’ as well as the Mexican merchant marine service ) and managing the Secretariat of the Navy (the naval ministry and naval civil service). The secretary is appointed by the President of the Republic.
 * Organizes, administers and prepares the Navy.
 * Exercising sovereignty in territorial seas, its air space and Mexico's coasts.

Functions
Based on article 30 of the Organic Law of the Federal Public Administration, among other actions the Secretariat is mandated to:


 * Organize and administer the affairs of the Mexican Navy
 * Manage the assets and reserves of the Navy in all its aspects
 * Grant licenses and withdrawals, and intervene in the pensions of Navy service personnel
 * Exercise sovereignty in territorial waters, as well as monitoring the coast of the territory, waterways, national islands and the exclusive economic zone
 * Organize, administer and operate the naval aviation service
 * Conduct naval public education
 * Organize and administer the maritime police service
 * Inspect the services of the Navy
 * Build, rebuild and conserve the port works required by the Navy
 * Establish and manage the stores and fuel stations and lubricants of the Navy
 * Execute the topohydrographic works of the coasts, islands, ports and waterways, as well as organize the maritime chart file and relative statistics
 * Intervene in the granting of permits for expeditions or scientific explorations abroad or international in national waters
 * Build, maintain and operate, shipyards, dams, boatyards and naval establishments destined to the ships of the Mexican Navy
 * Organize and provide naval health services
 * Integrate the national oceanographic information archive
 * Help in the organization and enforcement of National Naval Military Service
 * Organize Maritime SAR operations
 * Administer the Mexican Merchant Marine Fleets