UNITAS

PACIFIC COAST, Colombia - SK1 Hiram Bonds gives a Chilean helicopter the signal to take off from the deck of the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Forward just before the sun sets into the Pacific Ocean. The Forward is participating in UNITAS, a two-week naval exercise involving 18 ships, two submarines and 18 fixed and rotary wing aircraft from Colombian, Chile, Equador, Panama, Peru and the United States. UNITAS is a Spanish phrase that stands for "togetherness." The purpose of UNITAS is to foster cooperation and develop naval interoperability in the region.