UNITAS LXIV: Opening Ceremony
Senior leaders from 20 partner nations pose for a photograph with the U.S. Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro, at the Colombian Naval Museum, Cartagena, Colombia on the official opening day of exercise UNITAS LXIV, July 12, 2023. UNITAS, which is Latin for ‘unity,’ is the world's longest-running annual multinational maritime exercise that brings together forces from 20 countries to include Belize, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, France, Germany, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Spain, South Korea, United Kingdom, Uruguay, and the United States. By working together with allies and partners we amass the greatest possible strength for the long-term advancement of our interests, maintaining favorable balances of power that deter aggression and support the stability that generates economic growth. The exercise focuses on enhancing interoperability among multiple nations and joint forces during littoral and amphibious operations in order to build on existing regional partnerships and create new enduring relationships that promote peace, stability, and prosperity in the U.S. Southern Command’s area of responsibility. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Maj. Jeremy Wheeler)