Ukrainian military practice mine countermeasure operations at Sea Breeze exercises - General Staff
Kyiv • UNN
Ukrainian military at Sea Breeze exercises in the United Kingdom practice mine countermeasure operations according to NATO standards. The tactical group headquarters undergoes NATO Level 2 evaluation.
The maritime phase of the international Exercise Sea Breeze is ongoing in the United Kingdom, during which Ukrainian military personnel are practicing mine countermeasure operations according to NATO standards. This was reported by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, writes UNN.
During the maritime phase of the Sea Breeze exercise, the Ukrainian tactical group headquarters of mine countermeasure vessels conducted a mine clearance operation in a designated area on the approaches to the port of Portland
According to the exercise scenario, due to a sudden change in the situation and the likely re-laying of mines by the enemy, the main forces were redirected to another part of the operation area.
Accordingly, the officers of the tactical group headquarters had to develop a plan for further actions in a short time, determine new routes, and set tasks for the ship group.
At sea, Ukrainian mine countermeasure vessels practiced a full cycle of actions - search, classification, identification of mine-like objects, and their destruction.
It is noted that Ukrainian officers already have significant practical experience in clearing water areas in combat conditions, which is also noted by international partners. The allies also highly assessed the level of training of Ukrainian crews.
This year, the Ukrainian headquarters is undergoing NATO Level 2 evaluation (NEL-2), which should confirm its interoperability with Alliance forces and readiness for integration into NATO's standing mine countermeasure groups.
Separately, the crews of the ships "Mariupol" and "Melitopol" have already successfully passed the evaluation, demonstrating a high level of training and compliance of procedures and documentation with NATO standards.
The exercises also involve ships from France, the United Kingdom, Lithuania, and Poland, which carry out tasks under the coordination of the Ukrainian headquarters and jointly practice mine countermeasure operations.