12:42 10.07.2017

U.S.-Ukrainian Sea Breeze 2017 drills begin in Odesa

2 min read
U.S.-Ukrainian Sea Breeze 2017 drills begin in Odesa

The Sea Breeze 2017 exercise co-hosted by Ukraine and the United States began in Odesa on Monday, an Interfax-Ukraine correspondent said.

Ukrainian Navy men and their colleagues from partner countries will practice the activity of a multinational staff for planning and conducting naval operations in line with NATO standards and the activity of multinational forces to accomplish a Black Sea security mission. The drills will include diving, a course for inspection parties, cohesion training for tactical teams, survival training for pilots, ship and air defense exercises, landing and river operations, and other events.

More than 30 ships, hovercraft and support vessels, over 25 aircraft and more than 3,000 servicemen from 16 countries, including Ukraine, will be participating in the drills. Ukraine has assigned units of the Navy, the National Guard, the State Border Service, the Ground Forces, the Air Force and the Engineering Forces to the Sea Breeze drills.

The drills are the 15th Sea Breeze exercise held over the 20-year period since 1997, Ukrainian Navy Commander Ihor Voronchenko said in his opening remarks. "I am sure that these exercises will be efficient and their participants will show good results," he said.

Some of the exercises will be conducted in the 'free game' format and include an anti-sub operation in the Black Sea, the drills' U.S. supervisor Capt. 1st Rank Tate Westbrook.

The exercises will take place in the Odesa and Mykolaiv regions and the northwestern parts of the Black Sea.

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