Peru hosts 19 nations for multilateral exercise UNITAS

Peru is hosting naval forces from 19 countries for this year’s edition of the annual exercise UNITAS.

Scheduled to conclude on July 26, the exercise will be commanded by Peruvian navy Rear Adm. Alberto Alcala.

Participating countries include the United States, Peru, Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina, Australia, Chile, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Indonesia, Italy, Panama, Mexico, Spain, Canada, and the United Kingdom.

UNITAS 2017 is comprised of two phases, UNITAS Pacific and UNITAS Amphibious, both occurring concurrently with multinational partners.

UNITAS Pacific is designed to train each navy to conduct combined naval operations through the execution of littoral warfare, anti-piracy, maritime interdiction operations, countering transnational organized crime, anti-surface warfare, electronic warfare, communications exercises, and air and amphibious operations in order to increase the capabilities of participating naval and marine forces.

U.S. Marine Corps Forces, South (MARFORSOUTH), in conjunction with USNAVSO/FOURTHFLT, the Peruvian navy and marines, and other regional partner nations will conduct UNITAS Amphibious in the vicinity of Callao, Ancon and Salinas de Huacho, Peru. UNITAS Amphibious is designed to enhance interoperability and improve partner nations’ ability to plan combined amphibious operations, stability operations, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief missions in the region, and further develop common practices and procedures that result in common doctrine for use in future operations.

UNITAS, which means “unity” in Latin, began in 1960, making it the world’s longest-running annual multinational maritime exercise.