Since July 12, 2023, the surveillance frigate Ventôse and its Panther helicopter of the FAA, and a detachment of the Groupement d’Appui à l’Engagement Amphibious of the 9th Marine Infantry Brigade of Poitiers have joined Cartagena de Indias, Colombia, for Unitas 2023.
More than a hundred sailors, porpoises, sappers and bigors joined the 19 nations participating in this major maritime exercise, organized by Colombia, itself supported by the United States.
After a short ramp-up phase that included vertical assault training for GAEA, and an operations planning sequence for FS Ventôse, our units left the port of Cartagena on July 15, the Ventôse joining a “surface” task group composed of 9 ships of 7 nationalities, and the GAEA embarking on the USS New York. Since then, FS Ventôse has conducted several exercises including anti-submarine warfare, air defence, landing of its Panther helicopter on HMS Dauntless and a British Wildcat on the French frigate, and firing sequences with a 20mm gun. The GAEA will disembark and re-embark amphibious at Covenas on July 19. The sequence will end when they return on July 20, with the commemorations of the bicentenary of the Armada de la República de Colombia.