MINISTRY OF DEFENCE - PORTUGUESE NAVY

The Navy is a branch of the Armed Forces endowed with administrative autonomy having as its function the National Defense, and is composed of the Chief of Staff of the Navy, the Navy General Staff, the Naval Component Command, the Counseling Bodies, the Bodies of Inspection, the Base Bodies, which include the Marine Cultural Commission (CCM) and the Cultural Bodies (ONC). The CCM's mission is to support the Navy's institutional representation and strategic communication, disseminate and guarantee the preservation of its historical memory and contribute to the scientific and cultural development of the country, in the context of the sea and nautical sciences, and provide administrative support and financial to ONC and coordinating the preparation of exhibitions. The CCM is composed, according to its regulations, by the Director, Sub-Director, supporting bodies, and the ONC, constituted by: *Aquário Vasco da Gama - whose objective is the exhibition of live specimens in aquariums and aquaterrariums, from oceanographic collections or other nature related to marine biology, develop research activities in the field of aquatic fauna and flora and promote interest in aquariology *Banda da Armada - whose mission is to participate in the military ceremonial of the Navy, in the State protocol and in activities of a cultural nature, in the context of music *Navy's Central Library - which aims to ensure the treatment and conservation of the Navy's historical bibliographic and archival heritage *Navy Museum - which has the function of ensuring conservation and exhibition objects of historical, artistic and documentary value from the Navy's heritage, or entrusted to its custody, which constitute documents from the maritime past of the Portuguese these *Planetário Calouste Gulbenkian - which promotes interest in astrology *Revista da Armada - its mission is to ensure the edition and publication of the official Navy magazine CCM, Museu da Marinha and Planetário Calouste Gulbenkian are located in Praça do Império in Belém - Lisbon, while Revista da Armada is in the Support Unit for Central Marine Installations, in Terreiro do Paço - Lisbon, Banda da Armada, at Praça da Armada in Alcântara - Lisbon and the Vasco da Gama Aquarium, at Rua Direito do Dafundo, in Algés - Oeiras.