Seeking to improve interoperability, learn new techniques in disaster response, and respond with solidarity and immediately to large-scale catastrophes in the region, 10 countries gathered on the coast of Peru to carry out multinational exercise SOLIDAREX 2024.
“I am leading the Task Force that was created to conduct multinational exercise SOLIDAREX, which as its name indicates, is a naval forces solidarity exercise to attend to natural disasters, more precisely to earthquakes, in areas adjacent to the sea,” Peruvian Navy (MGP) Rear Admiral Kurt Bottger Garfias, commander of Task Force 779, told the media.
In its fourth edition, SOLIDAREX, carried out this year by the MGP in the Ancon Bay area, consisted of combined exercises in sea, air, and land theaters of operations, where training such as tactical formations, maritime and urban search and rescue, tactical medicine, humanitarian aid, and natural disaster recovery operations, among others, were conducted.
“Thirty-two exercises were carried out, including: search and rescue procedures, amphibious disembarkation, oil spill response, underwater pipeline repair, aeromedical evacuations, debris removal, and cargo transport,” the Colombian Navy said in a statement, about the late September exercise.
More than 1,500 participants from Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Italy, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Spain, and the United States took part in this edition. Representatives from Australia, Canada, Japan, and South Korea also joined as observers, jointly strengthening their capabilities to face threats from natural disasters.
“During this exercise, an amphibious landing operation was carried out with the objective of preparing personnel, working on interoperability among the participating naval forces, and strengthening international cooperation, to act entirely in aiding and supporting coastal populations in the event of a large-scale natural disaster,” the Peruvian government said in a statement. “Likewise, they [participants] carried out heliborne operations, insertion of rescue patrols by means of LCU [Landing Craft Utility] boats and hovercrafts, and the use of transport LAVS [Light Armored Vehicles] and U.S. LCAC [Landing Craft Air Cushion] type hovercraft.”
A total of 10 ships and five aircraft successfully took part in several emergency simulations, including the Colombian Navy’s ARC Victoria, the Mexican Navy’s Long Range Ocean Patrol (POLA 101) ARM Benito Juárez and a Panther multipurpose helicopter (ANX 2157), the Ecuadorian Navy’s BAE Hualcopo, and U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command/ U.S. 4th Fleet’s LCAC 33.
“This type of exercise is very important because it allows several navies from different countries, sister countries, to interoperate, learn new techniques, new tactics to deal with any natural phenomenon that strikes our countries,” said Captain José Sánchez Hoz, commander of ARM Benito Juárez of the Mexican Navy Task Force.
“SOLIDAREX is an operation that has been carried out annually for four years, where the different navies of the region meet to synchronize their capabilities in humanitarian assistance and disaster relief,” Colombian Navy Captain Juan Olarte Guzmán, commander of the ARC Victoria, told the press. “It is an important opportunity because it not only complements the capabilities of each of the participating navies, but at the same time strengthens interoperability, the training of the crews and all the participating personnel of the different components that make up a delegation. But it also strengthens those bonds of friendship that unite navies of the region.”
