The two-week exercise was led by U.S. Sixth Fleet and hosted by the United Kingdom. It took place in the Firth of Clyde and Northern Minches off the west coast of Scotland, with NATO and Ukrainian warships supported by staff from 11 countries (Bulgaria, Estonia, Georgia, Greece, Japan, Poland, Sweden, Türkiye, Ukraine, United Kingdom and the United States). It was the culmination of two years of training for the Ukrainian staff and MCM vessel crews, enabling them to successfully plan, control and execute mine countermeasure activities in a range of scenarios.
It’s a pleasure to see the NATO staff and crew of SNMCMG1 supporting the training of the Ukrainian mine countermeasures ships
Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group 1 (SNMCMG1) participated with three ships - FGS Donau (Germany), ENS Ughandi (Estonia) and FS Cephee (France) - supporting the training and international cooperation. SNMCMG1 was joined by the Ukrainian vessels Cherkasy and Chernihiv, and together they carried out the orders of Ukrainian staff at sea. Training included basic ship handling maneuvers, towing, weapon drills, driving in formation and diving. The Ukrainian staff practised exercise planning, including an asymmetric enemy mine threat in the vicinity of Loch Ewe.
Specialist mine countermeasures (MCM) vessels serving with a NATO Task Group played a major role supporting the Ukrainian Navy during Exercise Sea Breeze 24, which ran between 24 June and 5 July. The exercise provided the opportunity for all participants to improve their ability to work seamlessly together, meeting Allied standards while training for a post-conflict era Black Sea region.
“It’s a pleasure to see the NATO staff and crew of SNMCMG1 supporting the training of the Ukrainian mine countermeasures ships,” said Commander Submarines NATO, US Navy Rear Admiral Thomas Wall. “Over the past two years, the Ukrainian Navy has undergone exceptional training, and this exercise has been the final test of their capabilities. I have been hugely impressed and inspired by the crews of the Chernihiv and Cherkasy, the amount they have achieved in such a short period of time is truly remarkable. It’s always good to see several nations working to support each other, and that interoperability across the nations is what keeps the Alliance and our Partners strong.”
This vital training was essential to the Armed Forces of Ukraine and Captain Denys Ivanin, the Ukrainian exercise Sea Breeze Director remarked, “It is with great pleasure that I can announce the successful completion of exercise Sea Breeze 24 involving our US, UK and NATO allies. I personally would like to thank them and our international mentors for their support and sharing their expert knowledge over the last two weeks. My team has benefitted in many ways but our approach from planning to developing tactics and practices to the betterment of my staff and crews on our counter-measure vessels has undoubtedly improved our capability. In the future I feel we can make an effective contribution to the regional security with our mine clearance capability within the Black Sea.”
"We are stronger together. Exercises like Sea Breeze are part of a long-term multinational training plan to maintain readiness between NATO Allies and partner nations in the Black Sea region
“Having met all their training objectives and exceeded all expectations, the crews of the Ukrainian Mine Counter Measure Vessels and command staff’s enthusiasm has been exemplary. International maritime collaboration between allies is crucial for this endeavour and will, I’m sure, continue to grow into the future,” said Royal Navy Commodore Banfield, Co-Chair of the Maritime Capability Development Coalition for Ukraine.
Within the Glasgow headquarters the mentors and support staff from 11 nations worked tirelessly with a keen sense of purpose and confidence hand in hand with the Ukrainian command team delivering on the exercises aims and objectives.
"We are stronger together. Exercises like Sea Breeze are part of a long-term multinational training plan to maintain readiness between NATO Allies and partner nations in the Black Sea region," said Vice Admiral Thomas Ishee, Commander, U.S. 6th Fleet. "The continuation of this exercise program is a visible demonstration of the U.S.'s enduring commitment to enhance maritime security. The U.S. Navy supports freedom of navigation and trains regularly to address the major issue of floating mines in the Black Sea.”
This was the 24th iteration of the exercise, which was held annually in the Black Sea until Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The ability to train and rehearse real-world scenarios ensures that Allies and Partners will be able to create a safe and prosperous maritime environment in the Black Sea in a post-conflict era, which is vital to both Ukrainian and global prosperity.