NATO's largest naval training Sea Shield begins in Romania

Romania has launched the largest multinational exercise organized by the Romanian Navy Sea Shield, Radio Romania reports quoted by https://www.msn.com/. Over 2,200 servicemen and 135 ships, aircraft, and vehicles from 12 allied and partner countries are taking part in the exercise.   The opening ceremony took place in the port of Constanta.   The 9th edition of the multinational Sea Shield exercise involves troops and equipment from Bulgaria, France, Georgia, Greece, Italy, the United Kingdom, Moldova, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Turkey, the United States and Romania. The Sea Shield exercise focuses on training in all areas of warfare and aims to increase interoperability between participating forces.   "We have to work out operational procedures in the anti-submarine, surface and air environment, in the Black Sea, as well as in the river area of responsibility," says Vice Admiral Mihai Panait, Chief of Staff of the Romanian Navy.Also participating will be other branches of the Romanian armed forces, along with national defence bodies."More than 2,200 troops and 27 sea-going and riverine vessels, 17 aircraft and 91 vehicles and boats will train in the coastal area of the Black Sea, the Danube River, and Danube Delta in missions to combat illegal activities at sea and inland, maritime and inland control, search and rescue at sea, providing assistance to a ship in distress and ensuring security at the level of critical infrastructure," the Romanian Navy Staff reported on Monday.The multinational exercise "Sea Shield 24" is the most complex event led by the Romanian Navy under the Vice-Amiral Ioan Georgescu Navy Command in the training year 2024, contributing to promoting Romania's initiatives and interests regionally and internationally, as well as to increasing the level of interoperability among the participating forces. At the same time, it is designed to optimise the interinstitutional effort and synchronise Navy planning cycles in co-operation with the other branches.   NATO military exercises   In the first half of 2024, NATO is conducting a series of exercises codenamed Steadfast Defender-24. Poland will be one of the countries that will receive and deploy a significant number of allied soldiers and equipment on its territory.   From March 4 to 15, a large-scale military exercise of NATO countries called Nordic Response 24 took place in northern Finland, Sweden, and Norway. About 20,000 military personnel from 14 countries took part in the exercise.   At the end of February, NATO maritime exercises called Dynamic Manta took place on the coast of Sicily. The maneuvers provided a platform for testing and strengthening the Alliance's crisis response capabilities.