Reinventing NATO Shield at the Black Sea
Today is completed “Sea Shield exercises 18”, the largest NATO exercise in southern and eastern flank in the Black Sea. 7 NATO Allied nations participated in this Romania led exercise in the Black Sea which started earlier this week.
Military troops from several countries were involved in the NATO maritime exercises Sea Shield 2018 in the Black Sea, whose goal was to practice, during the military training exercise, NATO standard-fighting procedures against asymmetrical, submarine and maritime threats, according to a scenario based on a fictitious geopolitical situation.
A total of 21 ships, 10 planes and a submarine, as well as 2,300 soldiers from Romania, the United States, the United Kingdom, Turkey, Ukraine, Greece and Spain attented the military exercises.
The Romanian Naval Forces participated with two frigates, two corvettes, two rocket launchers, two sea buoys, two mobile rocket launchers, auxiliary ships and combat divers, the Romanian Air Force has assisted the air threats with three MiG 21 Lancer aircraft and, for the first time, the Romanian Ground Forces participated with a detachment of infantry from the 9th Mechanized Brigade “Mărăşeşti”.
Turkey participated with a submarine, a frigate, a patrol vessel, a research plane MPA P 235, Bulgaria – with BGS Bodri corvette, USA – with a patrol aircraft MPA P 8 Orion, Britain – with three Typhoon aircraft, and Greece – with chief of staff officers.
The NATO Maritime Allied Command (MARCOM) was represented by the Standing NATO Maritime Group, which operates in the Black Sea during May 1-21 and is made up by the British destroyer HMS Duncan, the Bulgarian frigate BGS Drazki, the Spanish frigate SPS Victoria and the Romanian frigate “King Ferdinand”.
”The Sea Shield 18 multinational exercise was the largest NATO exercise in the southern and eastern flank of the North Atlantic Alliance in 2018 that proved the special ability of Romanian military sailors to plan, organize and conduct training activities in the three action environments, land, air and sea”, the Romanian Navy announced.
