Acapulco's Naval Base

The Navy really has some especially nice digs in Acapulco - a great location right on the bay. Considering that the Mexican Navy rarely, goes into combat, being stationed in Acapulco is like having a tour of duty at a Club Med.

Acapulco's Naval base is also the "official" residence of the President of Mexico whenever he comes to Acapulco. In truth, the president and his party normally rent a private villa when they come to town.

Mexico's military consists of a National Defense Secretariat (which includes the Army and Air Force) and the Naval Secretariat (which includes the Navy and Marines). Ironically, for such a peaceful and historically neutral country, military service is compulsory. All able-bodied men are supposed to give a year of service. In reality, many young men just avoid going into the military. Others just get to stay in town, rather than being shipped off to some boot camp. Mexican males can enlist at age 16 with parental consent. In 2004, Mexico spent about 5 billion on its military, or about 1% of GDP.