Unit 2021
Mexico’s most powerful ship, ARM Benito Jrez, embarks on its first multinational exercise
2021.09.06 | Mexico City
Nelly Segura
The Long Range Ocean Patrol (POLA) ARM Benito Juárez sails today from the port of Manzanillo bound for Peru to participate in the multinational exercises Unit 2021. This is its first multinational exercise because of the Covid-19, Mexico canceled its participation in the international exercise organized by the US Navy Rimpac in its 2020 edition.
The POLA, before ARM Reformer, It is the most powerful ship of the Mexican fleet and the one that stands out for its modernity within the large ships that have the Secretary of the Navy (Semar). The boat was launched in 2018 and it was in 2020 when it was incorporated into the functions of the Mexican army formally.
The POLA began its construction in the previous six years, in its construction the Mexican Government and the company participated Ladies and gentlemen, Had a total cost of 390,920,000 euros, which included the cost for technology transfer with the Dutch firm. the ARM Juárez was built in five modules as of 2017, two of which were manufactured overseas and three in the Shipyard Number 20 de la Semar, with a total of 1,979,800 man-hours in Mexico and abroad.
Regarding its characteristics, the ship has a length (length) of 107.14 meters, a hose (width) of 14.02 meters, displacement (weight) of 2,570 tons, maximum speed of 27 knots (50 km / h); its propulsion is a diesel-electric combination and has a range of 21 days at sea.
In an exclusive interview with Infodefensa.com, the commander of the ARM Juárez, Captain of ships Alberto Ortega Padilla, He talked about the details of the trip
What is the purpose of the crossing?
The ship is part of a task force in which personnel from other units and means of the Secretary of the Navy participate. The group consists of a General Staff, a helicopter, a special forces team and an Urban Search and Rescue team. The mission is to integrate these teams into multinational exercises Unitas Peru 2021. This multinational exercise consists of three stages, the first Siforex (Silent strength exercise) That is a training exercise with surface, submarine and aerial units with submarines of the Navy of Peru; the second exercise is Unit which is the oldest multinational naval exercise in the world, this year marks the 62nd edition and the aim is to strengthen the interoperability, cooperation and trust of the participating countries as part of the Inter-American Remote Assistance Treaty and is merely naval. Finally, in a spirit of solidarity and continental support it will take place Solidarex, Which is an exercise in training and functions of humanitarian assistance and mitigation of large-scale natural disasters. As we know, when a weather phenomenon, an earthquake or some other affectation of nature occurs it does not respect borders and at this time countries show solidarity and support with the resources they have. This time we bring an urban search and rescue team that will participate in Peru and in a second stage of the trip to Ecuador.
How many countries will participate?
Participants are present: Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, France, Jamaica, Mexico, Peru, the United States and Uruguay, as well as other countries that participate virtually.
How many nautical miles will they cover and how long will they remain on the voyage?
We will travel about 2,700 nautical miles, which equates to almost 5,000 miles. We set sail on September 6 and concluded the activities on October 17. The voyage takes us 12 days for issues of optimizing resources, fuel consumption and crew training.
What is the autonomy of the POLA?
The ship has the capacity to travel up to 5,000 miles without refueling, which means we could reach the South Pole or the North Pole in a single voyage; so we will have no problem getting to Peru, we are preparing for it, with the monitoring of the weather conditions and in the logistical aspect of course we are prepared.
What is the number of staff and functions on board?
We are 100 crew members, plus the integration of Search and Rescue, the air component and the General Staff on board. In total there are 122 people.
What is the air component they will travel with?
We carry a helicopter Panther with naval capabilities, a pilot, a co-pilot and two aviation mechanics are on board the ship.
How many women on board and what is their role?
There are 15 women on board and they perform the same functions as the knights, they go as guards on the navigating bridge, in the Information and Combat Center, In the coordination of operations planning, they are in charge of Social Communication and image and video registration and in charge of electronic maintenance. The Secretary of the Navy has training centers in which many officers of the Mexican Navy are currently being trained, but they have not yet reached the rank of commanding a surface unit like this, for now, they are junior officers on an equal footing. of conditions than men.
Is it the first long trip of the POLA or what other experiences do you have?
The ship is very recent, caused discharge in the Navy service on February 1 last year and this is the first participation in an exercise of this magnitude. I am excited since the day I was discharged on this ship on October 1 last year, I think that personally is a dream, things we saw at the Naval School in the books, we saw them in the movies, today they are a reality for our navy and are named after the ship ARM Juárez 101.
What are the benefits of POLA compared to other ships and other multinational exercises?
The capabilities distinguish one ship from another, depending on the mission they perform are the characteristics they have. This ship has state-of-the-art communications communications and navigation equipment and systems that is what a country like ours needs. We will set sail from the command post at the Port of Manzanillo which is one of the most important in the movement of container loading. Mexico is a country with global responsibility based on international agreements that provide security for the development of operations at sea, for safeguarding, for the use of resources and this ship comes to fulfill this mission, with these capabilities.
As the POLA is the most important in Latin America, what example will it set for other nations?
Mexico has been participating in this type of event since 2010 with other units and staff, the experience is its own, for us it is very enriching to participate with other countries on equal terms. Training is essential to develop our operational capabilities, these multinational exercises give us the opportunity to integrate into combined arms task forces, this ship has the ability to operate with aircraft, with other ships and even in actions against submarines.
What material and groceries do they carry on board?
A ship is like a small town at sea, we have to cover all the needs of embarked personnel and the requirements of the order of operations, everything is ready and the tickets are mainly food for breakfast, lunch and dinner for 122 people for which logistics is extremely important.
How long did it take to plan this trip?
It is a constant preparation, we are always preparing in units, in establishments. Preparation on this ship began from the day it caused discharge not only to fulfill the mission we have but also to fulfill such commitments of our institution.
© Information & Design Solutions, SL All rights reserved. This article may not be photocopied or reproduced by any other means without a license granted by the publishing company. Public reproduction of this article, in whole or in part, by any means, without the express written permission of the publishing company is prohibited.