In this panoramic photo illustration the aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) arrives at Rio de Janeiro for a scheduled port visit. USS George Washington departed Norfolk, Va. en route to Yokosuka, Japan, where it will replace the aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63). US Navy photo illustration by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Clifford L. H. Davis (Released)RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (NNS) -- USS George Washington (CVN 73) and the George Washington Carrier Strike Group participated in the opening ceremony for UNITAS 49-08 in Rio de Janeiro April 22.
UNITAS, Latin for "unity," is a 49 year-old annual exercise designed to enhance friendly, mutual cooperation, understanding and interoperability for participating navies through cultural exchanges and maritime warfare and maritime interdiction operations scenarios.
Commander, Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 40, Capt. Rodelio Laco Jr. described the mission of UNITAS as working together to solve common issues and to engage with maritime partners in the hemisphere.
"By increasing interoperability, information sharing and cooperation, we can collectively improve the maritime security of the hemisphere, which will ensure the free flow of maritime trade," Laco said. "Our mutual economies highly depend upon maritime shipping to keep them thriving and it is in our mutual interest to protect the freedom of the seas."
Laco stressed the Navy's new maritime strategy as a key element of UNITAS 49-08.
"We're attempting to engage our partner navies of Brazil and Argentina on multiple levels," Laco said. "Multinational task groups will include Sailor exchanges and cultural sharing while participating in complex and sophisticated scenarios beneficial to all participating navies."
Lt. j.g. Jacob Steele, DESRON 40 assistant operations and planning officer, said these exercises help the U.S. maintain strong relationships with other countries.
"The goal is to be completely interoperable with the other country's navies, to be able to work with any ship from any South American navy," said Steele. "We do that through collaborative planning and execution of challenging, realistic scenarios."
As the host nation for UNITAS, Brazil has been instrumental in getting UNITAS off on the right foot.
"UNITAS would not happen without the Brazilians, because as the host nation they have taken the lead on multiple issues. Their leadership made the planning conferences run smoothly and we expect it to continue throughout the exercise," Steele said.
This is the 49th year UNITAS has been held. The exercise is conducted annually in the Atlantic and Pacific waters around South America, bringing together Sailors and naval officers from various countries to train and operate as a cohesive unit, while developing cooperative relationships, professional understanding and lasting friendships between nations.