The US Navy and Marine Corps and participating nation forces are set to arrive at Naval Station Mayport, Florida, in support of UNITAS 2025, the world’s longest-running multinational maritime exercise, which is scheduled to start on September 15, 2025.
The U.S. Navy will host this year's UNITAS featuring approximately 8,000 personnel from 25 allied and partner nations, including multiple ships, submarines, and aircraft (fixed-wing and rotary).
Forces will conduct operations off the East Coast of the United States and ashore in the vicinity of Naval Station Mayport, Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, and Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia. through October 6.
UNITAS was conceived in 1959 when representatives at the first Inter-American Naval Conference in Panama agreed to conduct an annual maritime exercise with one another. The first UNITAS took place in 1960 with forces from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Uruguay, the United States, and Venezuela.
This year marks the 66th iteration of the world’s longest-running annual multinational maritime exercise.
Participating nations include Argentina, Belize, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, France, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Honduras, Italy, Mexico, Morocco, Netherlands, Jamaica, Japan, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Singapore, Spain, and the United States.
Following the UNITAS 2025 opening ceremony on September 15, the in-port phase of the exercise will feature subject matter expert exchanges, professional symposiums, ship rider exchanges, and operations meetings. During this time, marines and sailors will conduct training events in Mayport to include medical, cyber defense, and diving and salvage operations.
During the UNITAS 2025 underway phase, forces will participate in events testing all warfare operations, to include live-fire exercises such as a SINKEX, an amphibious ship-to-shore landing and force withdrawal in Camp Lejeune.
Additionally, unmanned and hybrid fleet systems will return to UNITAS for a second year as part of the testing and development of the US Navy’s future hybrid fleet.
The US Navy vessels that will be participating include the replenishment oiler USNS Leroy Grumman, the amphibious transport dock USS Arlington, the Freedom-class littoral combat ship USS Cooperstown, the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman, the Virginia-class attack submarine USS Oregon, and the guided-missile destroyer USS Thomas Hudner.