Decree declares November 14 as Marine Corps Day

President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo issued the Decree declaring November 14 of each year as: “Marine Infantry Day”, published this Friday, November 6, 2026, in the Official Gazette of the Federation (Publication No. 304/2026, p. 4). Consequently, this date is institutionalized as a national anniversary for the elite corps of the Mexican Navy, with dissemination obligations for the Secretariat of the Navy. The document was signed at the residence of the Federal Executive Power, in Mexico City, on November 4, 2026, and entered into force on the day of its publication.

A date with constitutional basis and a closed budget

The decree is issued based on Article 89, fraction I, of the Political Constitution of the United Mexican States, as well as Articles 13 and 30 of the Organic Law of the Federal Public Administration and 1, 4, and 25 of the Organic Law of the Mexican Navy. The Executive maintains that these powers “comprise the development and consolidation of the marine infantry as an essential part of the naval power of the Federation.”

The second article of the decree establishes that, within the framework of this commemoration, the Secretariat of the Navy “will develop dissemination activities for its strengthening.” The text is countersigned by the Secretary of the Navy, Raymundo Pedro Morales Ángeles.

Regarding spending, the second transitory article sets an explicit restriction: the expenditures generated by the entry into force of the decree must be covered by the budget approved for the Secretariat of the Navy, therefore “its budget will not be increased and no additional resources will be authorized” for the current fiscal year or subsequent ones.

From the rejection of the French landing to State security

The longest section of the decree reconstructs the genealogy of the corps. On November 14, 1821, General Manuel Rincón, political and military chief of the Veracruz plaza, responded to Agustín de Iturbide regarding the convenience of integrating forces with acclimated elements and volunteers to defend the coasts and prevent smuggling: “With this resolution, the Marine Infantry Corps was being born in Independent Mexico.”

The document lists the milestones that support the anniversary:

• The blockade of October 1825 and the expulsion of the Spaniards from the fortress of San Juan de Ulúa on November 23 of that year, with the Marine Infantry guarding the Navy ships.
• April 19, 1837, when Marine Infantry Captain Juan Bautista Traconis, aboard the brig Libertador, fought and captured the Texan schooner Independencia.
• December 5, 1838, during the so-called “Pastry War,” when the corps prevented the capture of the port of Veracruz during the French landing.
• The creation of three Marine Infantry Battalions during World War II, in Veracruz, Puerto Cortés (Baja California Sur), and Acapulco (Guerrero).
• Support during the XIX Olympic Games of 1968, with surveillance at the Cuemanco facilities, and aid to the population following the earthquake of September 19, 1985.

Plan Marina, amphibious operations, and anchoring in the National Development Plan

The decree inscribes the anniversary in the National Development Plan 2025–2030, published in the Official Gazette of the Federation on April 15, 2025, whose Objective 1.6 provides for anticipating, deterring, and neutralizing risks and threats to national security; and in the Navy Sectoral Program 2025–2030, published on September 8, 2025, which proposes fostering an inclusive national maritime culture.

Regarding its operational function, the text specifies that the Marine Infantry exercises naval power through amphibious and land operations oriented toward external defense and support for internal security in coastal areas, ports, and strategic areas. It adds its participation in Plan Marina —assistance to people in emergencies, cleaning and rehabilitation of affected areas, and humanitarian aid— and in bilateral and multinational exercises. In accordance with the Organic Law of the Mexican Navy, the units are organized into Brigades, Battalions, and Independent Companies.

Recognition on the 205th anniversary

The Executive’s final motivation is identity-based: within the framework of the 205th anniversary of the creation of the Marine Infantry Corps (1821–2026), it considers it appropriate to recognize “its historical, strategic, and humanitarian contributions to national security” and to make the contribution of the marines visible, in addition to enhancing “the sense of belonging and institutional cohesion.”

The impact for the reader is twofold: the date becomes part of the civic-institutional calendar with official acts and dissemination managed by the Secretariat of the Navy, but without a new budget allocation; and the decree consolidates in writing the historical narrative with which the current administration legitimizes the role of the naval corps in internal security, a debate of growing public relevance.

Source: Official Gazette of the Federation, No. 304/2026, Friday, November 6, 2026, First Section (Executive Branch), p. 4 (official reference: Decree by which November 14 of each year is declared as “Marine Corps Day”).