NATO conducts largest Black Sea drills amid regional tensions

NATO's ongoing "Sea Shield" maritime live exercise, featuring participants from 13 countries, marks the alliance's largest military drill in the Black Sea to date.

The exercise, which started on April 8, 2024, and will run until April 21, features a significant number of warships and thousands of military personnel.

The maneuvers are taking place in strategic locations, including Romania's coastal areas, the Danube River, and the Danube Delta. These areas were specifically chosen to address the region's current security threats and risks, underlining NATO's commitment to safeguarding peace and stability in Eastern Europe.

A spokesperson from the Romanian Ministry of Defense detailed the objectives of this year's drills, stating, "The exercise aims to combat illegal activities in maritime and river domains, ensure the control of sea and river traffic, and coordinate search and rescue operations. All these efforts are in accordance with NATO standards."

This year's drills involve a broad international contingent, with naval forces from Bulgaria, France, Georgia, Greece, Italy, the United Kingdom, Moldova, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Turkey, and the United States participating.

This diverse participation reflects the complexity of the maneuvers, which the Romanian Navy described as one of the most intricate they have coordinated.

More than 2,200 military personnel are participating in the exercise, including 400 from foreign countries. The significant scale of this deployment underlines NATO's strategy to enhance its presence in Eastern Europe.

This move comes in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, with NATO intensifying its military capabilities in member states such as Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria, and Slovakia. The alliance aims to deter further aggression and secure the safety of its member nations through these increased defensive measures.

Source: Newsroom