Chilean and Argentine navies begin joint exercise Viekaren 2022

Personnel and assets from the Chilean Navy’s Beagle Naval District (Disnabe) and the Argentine Navy’s Austral Naval Area (Anau) began a new version of the combined Viekaren exercise Monday, Aug. 15, to strengthen trust and interoperability between the two institutions in Beagle Channel waters.

The Viekaren exercise, which runs until Aug. 21, is an activity under the agreements of the 1984 Peace and Friendship Treaty, which aims to promote good relations between Chile and Argentina.

According to the Chilean Navy, this annual exercise aims to strengthen trust by increasing the speed of operational response and improving the interoperability of the naval units of both countries. The 2022 version is particularly significant as it resumes after a two-year hiatus due to the Covid 19 pandemic.

In Viekaren, which means trust in the Yaghan language, institutional representatives will conduct maritime traffic control, search, rescue and recovery exercises at sea, and pollution response in the waters of the Beagle Channel.

In this way, the units will train their ability to operate in a coordinated manner in the event of a maritime emergency in the area, particularly in protecting human lives at sea.

COOPERATION AT THE END OF THE WORLD

Participating in Viekaren 2022 are the Argentine Navy’s speedboat ARA P-86 Indómita, ARA A-2 Teniente Olivieri and patrol boat ARA P-63 Barranqueras, as well as the Chilean Navy’s general service patrol boat PSG-73 Isaza and general service boats LSG-1603 Alacalufe and LSG-1604 Hallef.

The Anau’s chief of staff, Frigate Captain Angel Vildoza, said the exercise is intended to “improve the interoperability of navies in the search, rescue and protection of lives at sea, as well as in the fight against marine pollution.

Since 1999, the Chilean and Argentine navies have conducted the Viekaren exercise, strengthening relations and camaraderie. Working together allows us to respond in a coordinated manner to all kinds of situations.”

For his part, the commander of the Disnabe and naval governor of Puerto Williams, Captain Cristián Yáñez, explained that “the exercise aims to build trust and strengthen the efforts between the navies of both countries to act jointly and in a coordinated manner in the event of a maritime emergency.

This joint exercise also makes it possible to intensify the already existing traditional relations between the naval forces of Chile and Argentina.”

Exercise Viekaren 2022 began with a joint dive by the Chilean and Argentine diving groups, simulating the collapse of a ship’s hull and requiring them to conduct a diving inspection. After the final instructions and safety measures, the specialists dove into the cold waters of the Beagle Channel and successfully carried out the planned maneuver.

With information from Infodefensa