Bi-lateral US-Ukraine Naval Exercise Sea Breeze 2020 got underway in the Black Sea on 20 July and runs until 26 July.NATO'S Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 is taking part with it's three frigates from Romania,Spain and Turkey.On 20 July, tactical manoeuvring drills were held.*
Participating in SB20 are 27 ships,19 aircraft and some 2,000 personnel from eight countries: Bulgaria, Georgia,Norway, Romania, Spain, Turkey, Ukraine and the US.Multiple warfighting skillsets will be covered in the challenging scenarios:
Maritime Interdiction operations;air defence; anti-submarine warfare; damage control; and search and rescue.*
According to CDR Craig Trent,CO of guided-missile destroyer USS Porter (DDG 78):
These exercises will allow us to learn and grow from our partner nations, increasing our interoperability and overall effectiveness as a fighting force.*
Besides the Porter,a P-8A Poseidon Maritime Surveillance Aircraft from Patrol Squadron (VP) 47 will participate, for a total of about 400 US Sailors.*
SB20 is the twentieth iteration of the drills, which aim to increase capability and strengthen regional security.It is the USS Porter's third mission in the Black Sea this year.The Porter is forward-deployed to Rota,Spain along with three other US Navy Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers to support US national security interests in Europe and Africa.*
After the Exercise,SNMG 2 will conduct a patrol toward the Mediterranean Sea, enhancing regional stability.Ukraine is providing military and civilian infrastructure of the Black Sea coast in support of the event;while the US is helping financially, technologically and by providing hardware.*
The Black Sea Region is seen as a critical area of interest by Russia, which illegally occupies Ukraine's Crimea and parts of Georgia in the region.Hence Alliance networked attack operations and long-range strike operations are reportedly within the unspoken substance of the drills.*
Sea Breeze 2020 is being overseen by RADM Oleksii Neizhpapa, Commander of Naval Forces,Armed Forces of Ukraine; and VADM Gene Black, Commander,U.S. 6th Fleet.*
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