Sea Shield 18: Constanţa, 4-11 May

21 military ships, 10 combat aircraft and a submarine participate, during 4-11 May, in the SEA SHIELD 18 military drills, the largest multinational exercise organized in 2018 by the Romanian Navy. Over 2,300 troops from Bulgaria, Greece, the United Kingdom, Romania, Spain, the United States, Turkey and Ukraine will apply NATO standard procedures to combat asymmetric, aerial, submarine and maritime threats according to a scenario based on a fictional geopolitical situation - states a press release from the Romanian Naval Forces General Staff.

Romanian Navy will participate with two frigates, two corvettes, two missile-carrying ships, two sea dredgers, two mobile missile launch units, auxiliary vessels and combat divers. Romanian Air Forces will use three MiG 21 Lancer against air threats. For the first time, Romanian Land Forces will participate with a detachment of marines from the “Mărăşeşti” 9th Mechanized Brigade.

Turkey will bring a submarine, a frigate, a patrol vessel and a MPA P 235 research plane, Bulgaria will participate with a BGS Bodri Corvette, the US will bring a MPA P 8 Poseidon patrol plane, while the UK will participate with three Typhoon aircraft and Greece will be represented by General Staff officers.

NATO Allied Maritime Command (MARCOM) will be represented by the Standing NATO Maritime Group 2, which operates in the Black Sea between 1-21 May and is made up of British destroyer HMS Duncan, Bulgarian frigate BGS Drazki, Romanian frigate Regele Ferdinand, Spanish frigate SPS Victoria and Turkish frigate TCG Gemlik.

Sea Shield 18 is the largest NATO exercise on the southern and eastern flank of the North Atlantic Alliance in 2018 and demonstrates the outstanding capability of Romanian Naval Forces to plan, organize and conduct joint training missions.

Official opening takes place on Friday, May 4, at the Passenger Terminal in Constanţa Port, in the presence of the Chief of Staff of the Romanian Naval Forces, Vice-Admiral Alexandru Mîrșu.

Sea Shield 18 multinational exercise is part of the Romanian Naval Forces’ main objectives in 2018 and provides the tactical training framework for collective defense operations, under Article 5 of the the North-Atlantic Alliance.

Source:RRA.Translated by Miruna Matei