This year's Ukrainian-American Exercise 'Sea Breeze' joint naval exercises will in the Black Sea for the two navies to familiarize during deployment will be focused on the maritime phase and the action from air support.
But due to the pandemic, there will be not much interaction with the crews of the ships, with aircraft involved. Another aspect of naval exercises for the occasion is that both forces will learn more about such operations, reported Navy Mil.
Two navies and the future of the Multi-national exercise
Commander of the 6th Fleet of the US Navy Vice Admiral Eugene H. Black stressed several points of what multi-nation naval activity entails for all participants.
The involvement of the US Navy 6th Fleet in the multi-nation naval exercises is a demonstration of the US commitment to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the allies in the region of US support. Seabreeze is the actualization of the US resolve to defend Europe with its partners. It is the reason why the Black Sea was chosen as the area for the combined naval activity.
The Commander of the Navy of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Rear Admiral Oleksii Neizhpapa remarked that the operation is meant to assure the stability and securing the Black Sea region from threats. All the tasks and activities for maritime sequences of the exercise will keep the region safe by performing all tasks and activities that is equal to the policies set by NATO, US Department of State.
Based on the agenda of the National Navy Command, the Sea Breeze series is all about the integration of the Ukrainian Navy into NATO standards. These exercises are meant to improve the meshing of the Ukrainian navy into how NATO works to make them a dynamic component of any multi-nation force.
One important aspect is to attain a required level of interoperability, combat, and operational capabilities to synch smoothly with all NATO combatants on peacetime or wartime, US Department of Defence.
Kinds of tactical operations expected to be performed
While training for sea operations done by participants as part of the naval exercise, all sea vessels will conduct tactical maneuvers and be part of a chain of command. They will also be involved with other tasks like sweeping mines, and relocation of supplies while mobile on the high seas.
More expectations for the Ukraine forces will include interactions with tactical and naval aviation, how to do anti-aircraft, anti-ship, and anti-boat in a sea crossing, and other vital sea operations. Other extra ops will be the defense and protection of naval structures also complexes.
One of the crucial tasks for sailors on naval vessels is the firing of artillery on the sea and aerial targets. Most important is surviving an attack, rescue of other ships in conflict or distress, retrieval of sailors at sea.
Sea Breeze with the Ukrainians is slated for seven days. Joining them is the Arleigh Burke-class missile destroyer USS Porter and the US Navy's P-8 Poseidon patrol aircraft with NATO ships that will be part of the multi-nation exercise that's already there in the Black Sea.
The Ukrainian-American Exercise 'Sea Breeze' in 2020 has 2,000 personnel from nine navies involving 20 ships, including planes, and helicopters for this multi-nation exercise.
