UNITAS Gold

Last updated March 23, 2019

UNITAS Gold was the 50th iteration of UNITAS, which began in 1959 and is the longest-running multilateral maritime exercise.^[1] The 2009 exercises included 25 ships and 70 aircraft from 12 nations and was the 50th time the operation was conducted.^[2]

UNITAS are sea exercises and in-port training involving several countries in North, South and Central America, conducted by the United States since 1959 in support of U.S. policy.

A military exercise or war game is the employment of military resources in training for military operations, either exploring the effects of warfare or testing strategies without actual combat. This also serves the purpose of ensuring the combat readiness of garrisoned or deployable forces prior to deployment from a home base. War games involving two or more countries allows for better coordination between militaries, observation of enemy's tactics, and is a visible show of strength for the participating countries.

Rear Admiral Joseph D. Kernan, then-Commander, U.S. Fourth Fleet and U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command, remarked that UNITAS helps "nations coordinate efforts to oppose the scourge" of piracy.^[3]

Joseph Devereux Kernan is a retired United States Navy vice admiral and the current Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence. His last military assignment was as the Military Deputy Commander of U.S. Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM), Miami, Florida from May 23, 2011 to September 2013. He was the second-in-command of one of nine unified commands under the Department of Defense.

The U.S. Fourth Fleet is a United States Navy numbered fleet. It is the Naval Component Command of U.S. Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM). The Fourth Fleet is headquartered at Naval Station Mayport in Jacksonville, Florida. It is responsible for U.S. Navy ships, aircraft and submarines operating in the Caribbean Sea, and the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans around Central and South America.

U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command is the naval element of United States Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM). Its areas of operation include South America, Central America, the Caribbean and surrounding waters. Its headquarters are located at Naval Station Mayport, Florida. USNAVSO is currently under the command of Rear Admiral Sean S. Buck.

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References

↑ Boynton, Holly (21 April 2009). "UNITAS Gold, Longest Running Naval Exercise, Begins in Florida". Official Website of the United States Navy. United States Navy . Retrieved 2 January 2017.
↑ James G. Stavridis (February 2014). Partnership for the Americas: Western Hemisphere Strategy and U.S. Southern Command. NDU Press. pp. 86–87. GGKEY:KDBABGL9GBS.
↑ Peter Kien Hong Yu (21 August 2012). International Governance and Regimes: A Chinese Perspective. Routledge. p. 111. ISBN 978-1-136-52101-0.

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[boyn-1] Boynton, Holly (21 April 2009). "UNITAS Gold, Longest Running Naval Exercise, Begins in Florida". Official Website of the United States Navy. United States Navy . Retrieved 2 January 2017.

[Stavridis2014-2] James G. Stavridis (February 2014). Partnership for the Americas: Western Hemisphere Strategy and U.S. Southern Command. NDU Press. pp. 86–87. GGKEY:KDBABGL9GBS.

[Yu2012-3] Peter Kien Hong Yu (21 August 2012). International Governance and Regimes: A Chinese Perspective. Routledge. p. 111. ISBN 978-1-136-52101-0.