Callao Naval Base
Main naval base of the Peruvian Navy
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Callao Naval Base (Spanish: Base Naval del Callao) is the main naval base of the Peruvian Navy. Located north of the main port of Callao, it is also a high-security prison, where members of terrorist groups such as the Shining Path and the Túpac Amaru Revolutionary Movement (MRTA) are located. The base hosts a dockyard and naval aviation base, as well as the Naval Medical Center, which contains the U.S. Navy's Naval Medical Research Unit Six.[1]
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| Callao Naval Base | |
|---|---|
President Ollanta Humala and Defence Minister Jakke Valakivi during a ceremony at the base in 2016 | |
| Site information | |
| Type | Naval base, prison |
| Owner | Peruvian State |
| Operator | National Penitentiary Institute, Peruvian Navy |
 | |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1930s |
| Garrison information | |
| Current commander | V.A. Jorge Millones Gonzales |
History
The naval base was first built in the 1930s as a levee and a naval arsenal.[2] In 1992, then presidential advisor Vladimiro Montesinos proposed the construction of a penitentiary centre in the base, where he himself was confined after he was extradited from Venezuela in June 2001.[3]
A project to modernize the base started in the northern part of the facility on June 21, 2023.[1] In January 2026, the U.S. approved US$1.5 billion in equipment and services for the base.[4]
Notable inmates
- Abimael Guzmán, chairman of the Shining Path
- Víctor Polay Campos, co-founder of the MRTA
- Óscar Ramírez Durand, chairman of the Shining Path
- Vladimiro Montesinos (June 2001 – August 2021),[3] former director of the National Intelligence Service
- Miguel Rincón Rincón, leader of the MRTA
- Wilmer Arrieta, member of a criminal organisation
- Florindo Eleuterio Flores Hala, member of the Shining Path