NATO ships took part in the Bulgarian-led maritime Exercise BREEZE 2021 in the Black Sea involving forces from 14 Allies and Partners.
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NATO ships are took part in Exercise BREEZE 2021 in the Black Sea. The Bulgarian-led maritime exercise, which began on 11 July and wrapped up on 19 July, involved forces from 14 NATO Allies and partners – Albania, Belgium, Bulgaria, Georgia, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Poland, Romania, Spain, Turkey, Ukraine, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Two of four NATO fleets participated – Standing NATO Maritime Group Two (SNMG2) and Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group Two (SNMCMG2). The exercise aimed to enhance interoperability among participating units and strengthen NATO’s readiness in the Black Sea region. It is an annual exercise, dating back to 1996.
This NATO Multimedia footage includes various shots from a demonstration day that was held in the port of Varna in Bulgaria.
Transcript:
- (00:00) Demonstration of extinguishing a simulated fire on a ship in Varna port
- (00:24) Support boat (rigid inflatable boat) leaving the port of Varna in Bulgaria
- (00:30) Simulated operation to gain command of a simulated hijacked merchant ship during Exercise BREEZE
- (01:47) Bulgarian Navy crew members in support boats off the coast of Varna
- (02:22) Bulgarian ships demonstrate live fire at aerial target
- (02:49) ships from Italy, Spain, Turkey, Bulgaria and the United Kingdom conduct a passing exercise
- (04:20) Soundbite – Admiral Emil Eftimov, Chief Of Defence Of Bulgaria: “The current security situation remains tense in the Black Sea and we have witnessed the rapid change in this situation since 2014. So, in order to respond as Allies, we are conducting these exercises and I am very thankful to NATO for the presence of the standing NATO naval group here in the Black Sea. So we have Group Two, we have Standing MCM Group Two also here, and this really demonstrates our unity and commitment of Allies to the security of the Black Sea.”
- (04:59) Soundbite – Rear Admiral Kiril Mihaylov, Commander Of The Bulgarian Navy: “From Bulgarian perspective, the presence of Standing Naval Forces in the Black Sea is extremely important because it shows the unity of the Alliance, it shows the coherence and it shows first to the Bulgarian population that we are not abandoned and Bulgaria is a valuable member of NATO, and that’s why it is not only the military and naval side of the exercise and opportunity to train together, but it’s also the political message which this presence sends.”
- (05:35) Soundbite – Rear Admiral Kiril Mihaylov: “For Bulgarians, Black Sea, that’s our door to the world. More than half of our economy goes through the Black Sea. Our foreign trade is through the Black Sea. For us, keeping the sea lines of communication and keeping commerce alive is vital, that’s why Black Sea is very important for us, not only because of the wonderful sandy beaches and the people enjoying the summertime here, but that’s mainly the economy which makes it important for us.”
