US Navy Warship USS Donald Cook enters the Black Sea
This is the seventh time a US Navy ship has visited the Black Sea since the beginning of 2020. The last ship to visit the region was USS Roosevelt (DDG 80) in September. Photo: Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Ford Williams.
Tweet 
Share
The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Donald Cook (DDG 75) entered into the Black Sea today in support of NATO Allies and partners, announces the US Naval Forces Europe-Africa/U.S. 6th Fleet.
BREAKING: ???????? #USSDonaldCook DDG 75 began their straits transit into the #BlackSea, marking the 7th time a @USNavy warship has been in the Black Sea Region. #USNavy ships regularly patrol in these waters in support of our @NATO Allies & partners ???????? ???????? ???????? ???????? ????????!#PowerForPeace pic.twitter.com/8QMEWoL2V0
— U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa/U.S. 6th Fleet (@USNavyEurope) November 23, 2020
This is the seventh time a US Navy ship has visited the Black Sea since the beginning of 2020. The last ship to visit the region was USS Roosevelt (DDG 80) in September.
While in the Black Sea, Donald Cook will conduct routine maritime security operations that support regional stability.
Operating in the Black Sea signifies our commitment to partners and allies in the region. It is an important diplomatic mission, and Donald Cook has enjoyed the hospitality of Black Sea countries many times before", said Cmdr. Kelley Jones, commanding officer of Donald Cook.
The US Naval Forces Europe-Africa/U.S. 6th Fleet said in a press release that the Black Sea is 'a critical waterway for maritime commerce and stability throughout Europe'.
The US Navy routinely operates in the Black Sea to work with our NATO Allies and partners, including Bulgaria, Georgia, Romania, Turkey, and Ukraine. It is in the world’s best interest to maintain a stable, prosperous Black Sea region and deter aggressive actors who seek destabilisation for their own gain", reads the press-release.
The ship’s operations in the Black Sea aims to strengthen interoperability among NATO allies and partners and demonstrate collective resolve to Black Sea security under Operation Atlantic Resolve.
The Georgian Border Police of the Ministry of Internal Affairs is hosting Standing NATO Maritime Group TWO (SNMG2) in the territorial waters of Georgia in the Black Sea port town of Poti. Within the visit SNMG2 will conduct combined maritime exercise training with Georgian Coast Guard vessels Ochamchire and Dioskuria.
Georgia’s Black Sea port of Poti is hosting a group of military vessels of NATO member states, as the Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 is set to hold sea manoeuvres with their Georgian counterparts this week.
HNLMS Evertsen of the Royal Netherlands Navy, TCG Yildirim of the Turkish Navy, BGS Drazki of the Bulgarian Navy and ROS Regele Ferdinand of the Romanian Naval Forces are part of the group led by Commodore Boudewijn Boots.
The Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group 2 (SNMCMG2) has entered Georgia’s coastal city of Batumi earlier today to participate in three-day drills with Georgia’s coast guard personnel. The SNMCMG2 is represented by two ships the ITS VESUVIO (Italy) and TCG AMASRA (Turkey).
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said at an online press conference following the NATO foreign ministerial today that ‘Georgia and Ukraine are valued NATO partners’. Noting that both countries ‘make important contributions’ to NATO missions, Stoltenberg said ‘today, we restated our support for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Georgia and Ukraine’.
US ship Ocean Grand has entered Black Sea Poti Port, bringing in 14,000 tonne of high-quality US wheat, says the United States Embassy in Georgia.
Georgia's Black Sea port city of Batumi welcomed USS Donald Cook, a destroyer from the US Naval Forces Europe-Africa, on Friday in the latest visit of the miltary visit in Georgian waters.
US military vessel Donald Cook has docked in the Georgian coastal city of Batumi in western Georgia today to participate in joint drills with the staff of the Georgian Coastal Guard Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
The Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, commissioned in 1998 and "homeported" in Rota, Spain, entered the Black Sea coastal city port as a show of support for regional security and stability.
The Standing NATO Maritime Group 2, an immediate reaction force of the alliance, is in Georgia's territorial waters for drills with the Georgian Coast Guard service.
Georgian Coast Guard service and a group of NATO vessels joined forces in drills in the Black Sea, the interior ministry reported on Friday.
United States Coast Guard Cutter Hamilton has made a port call in the Georgian Black Sea town of Batumi. Hamilton is the first US Coast Guard Cutter to visit the Black Sea since 2008.
British Royal Navy air defence destroyer HMS Defender is making a port call in the Georgian Black Sea port in Batumi. The British Embassy in Tbilisi says the purpose of the ship visit was 'to demonstrate close cooperation between UK and Georgia promoting defence and security in the Black Sea region'.