UNITAS LXV Opening Ceremony
Rear Adm. Rich Lofgren, U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command/U.S. 4th Fleet Deputy Commander, greets the multinational delegation of UNITAS LXV along with Chilean Navy Vice Adm. Claudio Maldonado, Chilean Commander of Naval Operations, at the exercise's opening ceremony onboard ARC Sargento Aldea, pierside in Valparaiso, Chile, Sept. 2, 2024. UNITAS LXV commenced today in Valparaiso, Chile, with 17 ships, two submarines, and 23 aircraft operated and supported by more than 4,300 Sailors and Marines from 24 nations. UNITAS is the world's longest-running multinational maritime exercise, conceived in 1959 and executed without fail since 1960.