Interfax-Ukraine
September 8, 2014
Ukraine, U.S. to hold Sea Breeze exercise in Black Sea on Sept 8-10
Ukraine and the United States are to hold the Sea Breeze exercise in the northwestern sector of the Black Sea on September 8 to 10, the Ukrainian Navy’s press center announced.
The exercise will focus on techniques of conducting an international operation to maintain safe navigation in a crisis-ridden region.
Besides Ukraine and the U.S., the exercise will involve Spain, Canada, Romania and Turkey. Twelve warships and logistics vessels will take part in the maneuvers, including five Ukrainian warships and two Ukrainian coastguard boats. The Ukrainian Navy will also provide aircraft and helicopters.
Georgia, Norway, Sweden and France will send observers to the naval maneuvers.
The crews will practice skills in overseeing merchant navigation in selected zones, searching for and spotting trespasser ships, as well as checking and rescuing skills.
The drill will proceed under the supervision of the Ukrainian Navy’s acting Deputy Commander for Combat Training, Captain First Rank Oleksiy Neizhpapa, and U.S. Navy Capt. James Aiken, who is deputy director of the exercise.
The Ukrainian Navy’s press service said that the drill would not have a land phase. Visits to the ports of Odesa or other Ukrainian ports are not envisioned.
The drill is part of the program for bilateral cooperation between the Ukrainian and U.S. military and complies with the Ukrainian president’s decree of March 25 2014. The naval maneuvers will be held in the spirit of the Partnership for Peace program. Eleven Sea Breeze exercises were held between 1997 and 2013.
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