Record-Breaking Participation for Sea Breeze 2021

In the Black Sea region, NATO is strengthening deterrence and defense with joint exercises and maritime patrols such as the upcoming exercise Sea Breeze 2021, providing unique training opportunities that are designed to enhance readiness, improve collaboration, and interoperability.

Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 will take part in the exercise, which will run through 23 July. Co-hosted by the Ukrainian Navy and the U.S. Navy's Sixth Fleet, the annual bilateral exercise aims to strengthen maritime security in the Black Sea region. The exercise will focus on multiple warfare areas including amphibious warfare, land manoeuvre warfare, diving operations, maritime interdiction operations, air defence, special operations integration, anti-submarine warfare, and search and rescue operations.

This year’s iteration will host the largest number of participating nations in the history of the exercise with more than 30 countries from six continents providing 5,000 troops, 32 ships, 40 aircraft, and 18 special operations and dive teams scheduled to participate.

The exercise will provide the opportunity for personnel to engage in realistic maritime training to build experience and teamwork and strengthen our interoperability as they work toward mutual goals.

Since Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014, NATO has increased its presence in the Black Sea. NATO supports Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders, extending to its territorial waters. NATO does not and will not recognize Russia’s illegal and illegitimate annexation of Crimea and denounces its temporary occupation.

What happened during QinetiQ's recently first live weaponry ‘swing-role’ mission on the range at MoD Aberporth? Find out here.