SANTIAGO, May 8 (Xinhua) -- Ships of the U.S. Navy will arrive in Chile Friday for a 10-day joint military exercise, the U.S. Embassy to Chile said on Thursday.

    The battle group led by aircraft carrier USS George Washington and destroyer USS Farragut will arrive in the Magellan Straits in southern Chile Friday, where they will hold a joint military drill with the Chilean Navy on high-speed patrol, the U.S. Embassy said.

    More than 3,000 U.S. Marines will participate in the annual drill, which is coded "Partnership of the Americas."

    Under the plan, USS George Washington will then go on to the Port of Valparaiso in central Chile, where the carrier will join a four-day military drill with the Chilean Navy to improve the navies' capabilities in anti-air and anti-submarine warfare.

    As a part of the bilateral or multilateral exercises program commanded by the U.S. Army South Command, the exercise is aimed at improving collaborations between navies of the United States and South American countries in fighting such threats as terrorism.