Odesa hosts Sea Breeze 2018 planning conference. Its participants from the US, the UK, Bulgaria, Greece, Georgia, Denmark, Estonia, Canada, Lithuania, Moldova, Norway, Romania, Poland, Turkey, and Sweden will develop plan, coordinate scenario and exercise tasks, define exercise capabilities and forms, etc.

“This year the multinational HQ will command navy, air, and army components from sea. Officers of a new Naval Command of the Ukrainian Navy in cooperation with its colleagues will undergo approbation, gain practical experience in planning and command of operation under NATO standards”, Ukrainian Exercise Co-director Rear Admiral Oleksii Neyzhpapa said.

According to him, Sea Breeze held before 2014 was featured by partners training, meanwhile, next years it will be the main tool to achieve NATO interoperability, to maintain peace and stability in the Black Sea region.

US Exercise Co-director stressed that the HQ would be located on board USS Mount Whitney ship and it would enable participating countries to work out interoperability in limited space, improve mutual understanding and achieve the task assigned.