VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — About 350 sailors and Marines left Joint Expeditionary Base-Little Creek on Sunday.
The USS Carter Hall is en route to South America to take part in military exercises with nine other countries.
The USS Carter Hall is heading to Brazil to take part in one of the longest-running, multi-national military exercises in the world. It’s called UNITAS.
“Unitas it means unity in Latin. So UNITAS is huge about unity.”
More than 3,000 people from 10 countries are participating in the 60th anniversary of UNITAS, which is being hosted by Brazil.
“Argentina, Brazil, Peru, Columbia, Mexico – just to name some of them.”
Commanding Officer Bruce Golden said the purpose of the exercise is to strengthen partnerships between the countries, in case they ever work together.
“Continue to build and strengthen those relationships with the partners down there and to help increase our inter-operability. We’re taking the Marine Corps with us so that’s another chance we get to build that Navy, Marine Corps cohesion.”
Golden said, among other things, crews will focus on practicing Foreign Humanitarian Assistance, known as FHA.
“We’re going to deploy ashore and practice helping people out ashore.
Golden said the USS Carter Hall plans to return by the end of September.
The exercise was first conceived in 1959, and the first executed in 1960. It has been held every year since.
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