Brazilian Submarine Force Command
The Brazilian Navy command responsible for organizing, operating, training and supporting Brazil's submarine forces and associated underwater units.
Last updated November 4, 2026
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Overview
The Brazilian Submarine Force Command, known in Portuguese as Força de Submarinos and commonly abbreviated ForSub, is the Brazilian Navy formation responsible for the country's submarine capability. It organizes and supports submarines, submarine bases, auxiliary vessels, training facilities and specialist underwater personnel. Its responsibilities combine operational employment, maintenance, crew preparation, doctrine development and the preservation of the infrastructure required to sustain submarine operations. The organization traces its institutional origins to 17 July 1914, when the Brazilian Navy activated a Submersible Flotilla after acquiring Italian Foca-class boats. The creation followed decades of advocacy and technical proposals by Brazilian naval officers, including Lieutenant Felinto Perry, who argued publicly for the acquisition of submersibles in the late nineteenth century. The flotilla changed designations several times: it became a Submarine Flotilla in 1928, was disbanded in 1933, re-established in 1937 and received its current designation in 1963. From its creation until 2021, its principal headquarters were on Mocanguê Grande Island in Niterói. The command subsequently moved to Madeira Island at Itaguaí, where Brazil's modern submarine infrastructure is concentrated. The force's operational structure has included conventionally powered submarines, a submarine-rescue vessel, an aviso and the Combat Divers Group, a special-operations formation. The command also works with the Admiral Áttila Monteiro Aché Training and Instruction Center, where volunteer submariners receive specialized preparation. Submarine service is regarded as technically demanding and selective because crews work in an isolated, confined and artificial environment in which mechanical, navigational and human-factor risks are persistent. Brazil has operated submarines continuously or intermittently since 1914, with vessels initially acquired abroad. During the twentieth century, the technological sources for Brazilian submarines shifted from Italy to the United States, the United Kingdom and Germany. From the 1980s onward, Brazil developed the ability to assemble submarines domestically, making its industrial base an important part of the force's long-term development. The command's historical experience has included both offensive and defensive concepts. During and after the Second World War, Brazilian naval planning emphasized anti-submarine warfare and the protection of maritime communications, partly within the wider hemispheric defense framework led by the United States. Brazilian submarines also served as training and evaluation targets for surface forces. From the 1970s, Brazilian naval strategists increasingly regarded submarines as instruments of sea denial within a more autonomous, blue-water naval strategy. The 2008 National Defense Strategy gave priority to denying an adversary the use of maritime approaches to Brazil and identified a substantial submarine force as a central means of achieving that objective. This policy underpins the Submarine Development Program, or ProSub, which seeks a mixed force of diesel-electric submarines and a future nuclear-powered submarine built with Brazilian participation. Conventional submarines are intended primarily for patrol and positional operations in coastal and littoral areas, while nuclear propulsion is intended to provide greater endurance, mobility and autonomy over larger maritime spaces. The proposed nuclear-powered boat is described by Brazil as a conventionally armed nuclear-propelled submarine, not a nuclear-weapons platform. The command's practical mission therefore extends beyond operating individual boats. It contributes to sea denial, maritime surveillance, intelligence gathering, reconnaissance, anti-submarine warfare, protection of naval forces and, under suitable circumstances, support for special operations. Submarines may also contribute to maritime area control or power projection, although Brazilian defense doctrine has placed sea denial at the forefront of naval priorities. The force's principal facilities at Itaguaí and associated installations in the state of Rio de Janeiro provide the institutional and industrial setting for these missions. The largest recorded accident in the force's history was the sinking of Tonelero (S-21) alongside a pier in 2000; the incident caused no fatalities or injuries.
History
Brazilian interest in submarine warfare predates the creation of the force by several decades. During the 1890s, Lieutenant Felinto Perry used the press to advocate the acquisition of submersibles, while other naval officers proposed designs of their own. These initiatives did not receive the funding needed for construction. Institutional progress came with the purchase of Italian Foca-class submarines, which enabled the Navy to establish a Submersible Flotilla on 17 July 1914 under Perry's command. That formation is generally treated as the predecessor of the present Brazilian Submarine Force. The organization experienced several changes during its early history. It was redesignated the Submarine Flotilla in 1928, disbanded in 1933 and restored in 1937. In 1963 it adopted the designation associated with the modern Submarine Force. Its principal base was Mocanguê Grande Island in Niterói for most of its institutional existence. In 2021, headquarters moved to Madeira Island in Itaguaí, in the state of Rio de Janeiro, alongside the facilities supporting Brazil's contemporary submarine program. Brazilian submarine operations were shaped by the two World Wars and by changing naval assessments of the country's strategic environment. German attacks on Brazilian merchant shipping contributed to Brazil's decisions to enter both conflicts. In the Second World War and the early Cold War, the Navy placed considerable emphasis on anti-submarine warfare and on training surface units to protect convoys and identify hostile submarines. This orientation reflected Brazil's participation in a broader Western Hemisphere collective-defense framework in which regional navies supported the United States Navy's anti-submarine effort. The force nevertheless retained an offensive potential. The incorporation of the submarine Humaytá in 1929 gave Brazil a platform capable of operating beyond simple harbor defense, including the possibility of minelaying and threatening an opponent's approaches. From the 1970s, a new generation of Brazilian naval planners sought greater strategic autonomy and a balanced blue-water fleet. Submarines were increasingly understood as tools for sea denial: relatively small and difficult-to-detect platforms able to impose disproportionate defensive costs on a stronger adversary. The experience of the 1982 Falklands War, particularly the impact of the British nuclear submarine HMS Conqueror on Argentina's surface fleet, reinforced Brazilian interest in the operational value of nuclear propulsion. Brazilian doctrine distinguishes sea denial from maritime area control and power projection. Diesel-electric submarines are well suited to concealed patrols and positional warfare in coastal waters, where they can exploit geography and intelligence about maritime routes. Their endurance and speed are constrained by battery capacity and the need to periodically use a snorkel to recharge batteries. Nuclear-powered submarines, by contrast, can remain submerged longer, maintain higher speeds and operate over wider areas without relying on atmospheric oxygen for propulsion. Brazil has therefore pursued a mixed force concept in which conventional boats defend littoral approaches and a nuclear-powered submarine provides complementary mobility and endurance. The 2008 National Defense Strategy formally elevated sea denial and called for a submarine force of significant scale. Later defense planning continued to support a combination of conventional submarines and a future nuclear-powered boat. The resulting Submarine Development Program, known as ProSub, links operational requirements with domestic industrial and technological development. Brazil's submarine construction capability evolved from complete foreign acquisition toward domestic assembly and increasing local participation beginning in the 1980s and continuing through the twenty-first century. Training is a core part of the command's identity. Candidates volunteer for submarine service and train at the Admiral Áttila Monteiro Aché Training and Instruction Center. The work requires technical competence, psychological resilience and the ability to function in a confined, artificial environment for extended periods. The force also includes specialized divers and rescue capabilities intended to support underwater operations. Its history has not been free of risk: Tonelero (S-21) sank at its berth in 2000, the most serious accident identified in the force's history, although no one was killed or injured. Today the command remains a Brazilian Navy formation responsible for integrating submarines, bases, support vessels, training organizations and specialized underwater units into Brazil's maritime-defense system.
- 2021
Headquarters moved to Itaguaí
[1]The command transferred its headquarters from Mocanguê Grande Island in Niterói to Madeira Island in Itaguaí.
- 2008
National Defense Strategy prioritizes sea denial
[1]Brazil's National Defense Strategy placed sea denial at the center of maritime defense and called for a substantial submarine force.
- 2000
Tonelero accident
[1]The submarine Tonelero (S-21) sank alongside a pier. No fatalities or injuries were reported, but the event became the force's largest known accident.
- 1979
Nuclear-propulsion effort pursued
[1]Brazil began pursuing a naval nuclear program intended to support the eventual construction of a nuclear-powered submarine.
- 1963
Current force designation adopted
[1]The organization was renamed under the designation associated with the modern Brazilian Submarine Force.
- 1937
Submarine organization re-established
[1]The Brazilian Navy re-established its submarine formation after the 1933 disbandment.
- 1933
Submarine Flotilla disbanded
[1]The submarine organization was temporarily dissolved before being restored later in the decade.
- 1928
Designation changed to Submarine Flotilla
[1]The organization adopted the designation Submarine Flotilla as its submarine arm continued to develop.
- 1914
Submersible Flotilla established
[1]After Brazil acquired Italian Foca-class submarines, the Navy created a Submersible Flotilla on 17 July 1914 under the command of Felinto Perry.
Products and positioning
A sovereign naval underwater-warfare capability centered on stealth, sea denial, maritime defense, specialized training and the gradual development of Brazil's domestic submarine-industrial base.
Submarine fleet
Conventional diesel-electric submarines
The force's conventional submarines are intended primarily for concealed patrols, coastal defense and sea-denial operations. Their diesel-electric propulsion provides stealth during submerged battery-powered operations but limits sustained speed and endurance compared with nuclear propulsion. Brazilian doctrine treats these boats as particularly suitable for positional warfare in littoral areas, focal zones and maritime approaches where geography, intelligence and controlled patrol areas can compensate for their range limitations.
Submarine development program
Nuclear-powered submarine program
Brazil's long-running nuclear-propulsion effort seeks to create a nuclear-powered, conventionally armed submarine. The planned platform is intended to complement, rather than replace, conventional boats by providing longer submerged endurance, greater mobility and the ability to operate across larger maritime areas. The program is associated with ProSub and with Brazil's objective of developing sovereign submarine technology and industrial capability.
Special operations unit
Combat Divers Group
The Combat Divers Group is the force's specialist underwater-operations component. It supports missions requiring advanced diving, reconnaissance and special-operations capabilities and forms part of the broader set of units organized by the Submarine Force.
Support and rescue
Submarine rescue capability
The Submarine Force includes rescue support for submarine operations, including a rescue ship and related procedures and training. This capability is intended to improve crew survivability and operational safety during underwater missions and exercises.
Brand decisions
2021
Headquarters relocated to ItaguaíStrategyBackground
Brazil's modern submarine infrastructure and development activities were increasingly concentrated at Itaguaí in Rio de Janeiro state.
Action taken
The command moved its headquarters from Mocanguê Grande Island in Niterói to Madeira Island in Itaguaí.
Aftermath
Itaguaí became the principal anchorage and command location for the contemporary submarine force.
2008
Sea-denial strategy adopted as a defense priorityStrategyBackground
Brazilian defense planning reassessed the role of submarines in protecting the country's extensive maritime approaches and jurisdictional waters.
Action taken
The National Defense Strategy gave priority to denying an adversary the use of the sea and identified a substantial submarine force as a principal means of achieving that goal.
Aftermath
The policy reinforced ProSub and the concept of a mixed fleet combining conventional submarines with a future nuclear-powered submarine.
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