Canadian Royal Army soldiers from Alpha Company, 3d Battalion, 22d Regiment, fire the M224 60mm Lightweight Mortar during Partnership of the Americas 2009. During POA, U.S. Marines deployed as Special Purpose Marine Air Ground Task Force 24 (SPMAGTF 24), comprised of Marines from the II Marine Expeditionary Force, Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 764 (HMM-764), 4th Marine Logistics Group and the 24th Marine Regiment., will train with partner nation Marines from Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, Uruguay, and soldiers from the Canadian Royal Army. POA, which is being executed simultaneously with UNITAS Gold, is an annual U.S. Marine Corps Forces, South multi-national company-level combined and joint exercise that focuses on enhancing interoperability between U.S. Marines and partner-nation Marines in the areas of amphibious operations, non-combatant evacuation operations (NEO), peacekeeping and disaster relief. "This year's goals are to build capabilities to operate with partner-nations naval forces aboard and off amphibious ships and to enhance USMC and partner-nation NEO interoperability for potential regional natural disaster or relief operations," said Col. Augustin Bolanio, POA 09 exercise director. In all more than 25 ships, 50 rotary and fixed wing aircraft, 650 Marines, 6500 Sailors and four submarines will participate in exercises POA and UNITAS Gold. UNITAS Gold, a multiservice and multinational exercise is the oldest combined exercise within the Department of Defense.